The Princess & The Slacker
by Mimi-sama
Summary: Princess Naminé came to the Twilight Kingdom to marry Prince Roxas, and become his Queen. She didn't expect to meet his brother, the carefree and bizarre Prince Sora, and fall helplessly and entirely in love with him... RoxNamSorKai
1. Meeting the Princes

_You come to love not by finding the perfect person, but by seeing an imperfect person perfectly._ _~Sam Keen_

Chapter 1: _Meeting the Princes_

There was a knock on the door.

Lord Ansem – The King's consultant and Head of the Twilight Kingdom's Privy Council – looked up from his office-desk. "Prince Roxas, please come in…"

A blond-haired young man entered, closing the door behind him a bit too roughly.

"What do you want?" Roxas asked impatiently as soon as he came in.

"As cordial as ever I see," Ansem remarked sarcastically.

Roxas rolled his eyes. "Look, you obviously called me here for a reason. Out with it already!"

Ansem smiled mysteriously.

Roxas showed him a death glare. "Well? Are you going to tell me what it is?"

Ansem stared back at his glare calmly. "It does not hurt to smile once in a while, does it? You should take after your brother more."

Roxas narrowed his eyes further. A dark, irritated aura surrounding him.

"Alright, alright… I will tell you…" Ansem chuckled heartily, and then reached for a letter placed neatly on the center of the desk.

Roxas eyed the letter warily, noticing the King's seal on it. "From my father?"

Ansem nodded. "Yes."

Roxas sighed tiredly. "Great. What does the old man want this time?"

Ansem glared at him in a scolding manner. "Do not speak of the King like that. We worked very hard all these years to train you to be a fine gentleman, befitting of the position as the righteous heir for the throne. Were our efforts incompetent?"

All the while, Roxas was rolling his eyes with disregard.

Ansem sighed, and then began explaining patiently, "Your father is very sick, and is currently away for rehabilitation in the country-side, as you already know. During that time, I am responsible of ruling the Kingdom in his stead. Unfortunately, it seems His Majesty's condition is getting worse. You are aware what that means..."

Roxas' eyes went wide. "I'm going to become king?"

Ansem smiled, nodding. "Yes. It is time."

Roxas took a deep breath, and then let it out slowly before shrugging a little. "Oh well… I saw that coming. It's bound to happen someday right?" He made his way toward the door, now at ease. "You scared me for a while there though," his hand was on the doorknob, "I thought it's something A LOT worse!"

"Your own father dying is not worse enough?" Ansem shook his head in disbelief, "In any case... That is not all I called you here for..."

Roxas froze midway, and then turned around warily. "There's more?"

"You are obliged to wed Princess Namine of the Hikari Kingdom in order to become King. You know that. And since the King himself is aware that his time is coming, he feels that we must hasten things up a little."

Roxas stared at him in disbelief, jaw dropping. "You're kidding me, right?"

"I will not kid about something this important," he answered him seriously with a hint of a smug smile.

"Damn old man..." Roxas cursed quietly to himself.

"Oh, and the princess is coming tomorrow. Just so you know…" Ansem told him casually, the smug smile on his face becoming more apparent.

"No way!" Roxas paled.

"Yes way," Ansem replied playfully. "Tomorrow afternoon. I am taking care of all the arrangements, so you do not have to worry. Just... _Behave_... Please."

"We're not going to get married right away, are we?" Roxas asked frantically.

"Of course not! First of all, we will wait until the princess settles down and becomes familiar with her surroundings. Then, we will plan an engagement party to officially announce the news."

Roxas sighed with relief. "So it's not right away..."

"Of course."

"What if I don't like her?" Roxas asked suddenly, frowning.

"Who?"

"The princess."

Ansem shook his head. "I'm afraid you do not have a choice."

"Does my brother know?" Roxas asked after a moment of heavy silence.

Ansem frowned at the mention of Roxas's much less disciplined brother. "I was planning to tell the both of you together, except that his whereabouts are currently a mystery!"

"He's probably loafing around somewhere, enjoying his worry-free life..." Roxas guessed enviously.

"Well... _if_ you do find him, feel free to tell him yourself."

"Sure, whatever…" Roxas muttered dejectedly before turning around to leave Ansem's office.

-X-X-X-

_Dining Hall_

Everyone was gathered for the dinner feast. With the exception of one person, Roxas noted mentally while twisting his head around, looking for his brother. He turned his head back to face Ansem next to him; seated at the head of the enormous dining table, in the King's place.

"Where's that doofus?"

Ansem sighed deeply. "Only God knows."

"I haven't seen him all day..."

The older man coughed, lowering down his voice a little. "I suppose you have not told him about _it,_ yet, have you?"

"I'll tell him when I find him!"

"That's just like your brother; disappearing when you actually need him for a matter," he huffed, shaking his head. "Useless!"

"Hey! Don't talk about my bro like that! Only _I'm_ allowed to badmouth him!" Roxas glared at him angrily before they turned back to their meals.

-X-X-X-

_Later that day, the Castle Library_

It was a routine for Prince Roxas to visit the library whenever he has free time, even if that barely happened. As he entered the library that day, scanning the place for his younger brother, he came face to face with Olette, the castle's very own young Librarian, and a childhood friend of his.

"R-R-Roxas!" Exclaimed the brunette with wide eyes, startled by his sudden appearance and almost dropping a mountain of books she was carrying in her arms.

"Careful!" Roxas sprang forward, ready to catch the books if they fall. Luckily, they didn't. Both of them sighed with relief simultaneously.

Realizing how informally she addressed him earlier, Olette blushed with embarrassment. "I-I mean... _Your Highness_!" She made an apologetic face.

"Personally, I like the _'R-R-Roxas'_ better!" Roxas joked while smiling mischievously.

She glared at him. "His _Highness_ better shut up his _royal_ mouth or these books will go _over his royal head_!"

He chuckled amusedly while Olette continued glaring at him. That was one of the things he loved about his childhood friend, the open way she treated him despite their different social statuses.

"Uh, anyway...Uhm... Have you seen my idiot brother?"

She shook her head simply. "Nope. Haven't seen him for a while."

"I see..." Roxas' head slumped down disappointedly a little.

She placed the books she was holding on the table next to them. "It's not a surprise, though. It'll kill him to stay in one place for too long!"

"I envy him..."

"I guess I can see why... He has everything easy since he's not the heir. You are," she said while eying the blonde prince sympathetically.

"Funny how a few minutes of being born earlier can determine our fates like this..." He sighed heavily, and then pulled out the chair nearest to him to sit on.

"Is something wrong?" Olette asked worriedly, automatically taking the seat next to him. "Why are you looking for him in the first place?"

He turned his head to stare at her blankly.

"Come on, you can tell me! We've been childhood friends since forever! You can trust me with anyth-"

"I'm getting married," he announced emotionlessly.

"—WHAT?" She jolted up; her eyes were almost bulging out of their sockets from shock.

"Shh! Calm down, we're in the _library_!" He covered her mouth quickly, smiling in spite of himself, obviously amused with her reaction. They looked around to see few people staring in their direction briefly before minding their own business.

Olette took Roxas' hand off abruptly and then turned around swiftly to face him. "You're getting _MARRIED_?"

"Unfortunately... yeah."

"_MARRIIIIED_?" She drawled out in a high-pitched voice.

"Can you keep your voice down? You're making a scene…" He chuckles quietly.

She slumped back down on her seat, a dumbstruck look on her face. Roxas waved a hand over her face to get her attention.

"Did I break your heart?" He asked teasingly.

"You wish!" She snapped out of her shock to glare at him. "You just... startled me. I mean... _Wow_! You're getting married!" She stopped, a confused look on her face, "Hold on. Why are you getting married again?"

"Because Father is dying…" He answered without emotion, shrugging.

She gasped, covering her mouth. "Oh God! I'm so sorry!"

"Don't be. We're better off with him dead," Roxas replied coldly.

Olette glared him at him in a scolding manner. "How can you say that about your own _father_?"

Roxas looked ahead, his expression darkened, but he said nothing.

Olette sighed at his usual cold behavior. "So, who's the lucky princess?" She asked after a moment of silence.

"None of your business," he answered her bluntly.

"Hey! You have to tell me!"

"Why should I?"

"We're friends!"

_Silence._

"ROXAS!"

Roxas raised an eyebrow. Sometimes Olette would forget who she was talking to. But he didn't mind that. That was what he liked about her in the first place.

"No need for that... because you'll be seeing her tomorrow," he finally replied.

Olette's eyes went wide. "Tomorrow? She's coming here _tomorrow_?"

Roxas nodded glumly.

"When are you getting married then? _The day after tomorrow?_" She cried sarcastically.

Roxas shrugged lightly. "Everything is possible in Father's world..."

Olette sat back, as equally depressed as Roxas. "I think your brother will hit the roof when he hears this."

Roxas grimaced jealously at the mention of his twin. "That lucky bastard!" He cursed a bit too loudly, earning a few stares from the people around them.

"Remember... we're in the _library_!" Olette teased him in a low voice, winking at the blonde playfully.

Roxas only huffed with annoyance in response.

-X-X-X-

_The Awaited Day_

Inside the royal carriage, Princess Naminé glanced outside the window to see Twilight's Castle in all its gigantic glory, becoming closer and closer. She gazed at it with amazement. _'What a beautiful place!'_

Next to her, the personal maids eyed her sympathetically. "Princess, are you happy with these recent arrangements?"

Naminé turned her head to face them while looking down at her lap with a small frown. "To be honest... I'm not very happy about this. But if it's what my parents think is best for me, then I'll do what I can to please them."

The maids stared at the young princess with adoration, their eyes teary. "What a nice daughter you are! We pray to God that you find happiness somewhere in that place."

Naminé smiled at them warmly. "Thank you everyone. Please take care of me always," she bowed her head a bit in courtesy.

And then, suddenly, the road got bumpy for a second and the carriage shook violently.

"What's happening?" Naminé asked panicky.

"No need to panic, princess! It's probably just a rock... or a wild animal," one of the maids reassured her with a smile.

Naminé relaxed a bit, but she still felt uncertain. She looked out the window just in case, but it was hard to see what was behind.

"We're almost there!" The driver declared all of a sudden.

Swiftly, she turned her head to see what was in front, and sure enough... They were here.

-X-X-X-

_Castle Entrance_

Everyone was panicking. The princess was almost here. Everybody had to be standing in their positions. Maids, guards and servants. And of course, Head of the Privy Council, Ansem, and Prince Roxas, were standing in the middle.

Roxas was gazing at the entrance nervously, numerous questions going around in his mind: '_Who is this woman? What is her personality like? What does she look like? What if she's downright ugly…?'_ ...etc.

Turning his head around, he noticed that his brother was not where he should be. In fact, he was not here at all.

"Ansem, where THE **HELL** is my brother?"

Ansem removed a couple of sweats from his forehead. "I-I wish I know! We did not find him anywhere! He is probably the only one in the whole kingdom who was not told about your marriage arrangement!"

Roxas started pacing around tensely.

Ansem removed a couple more sweats dripping from his forehead before turning to one of the servants. "Where in the world is that brat?"

"I-I don't know sir!" The servant stuttered nervously. "He hasn't come back for a week!"

"Typical of that idiot!" Roxas blurted out angrily while pacing.

"The princess has arrived!" One of the guards shouted out. Quickly, everyone stood back in their place. All eyes shifted to the carriage parking just outside the castle's broad entrance gate.

A pink-haired gentleman jumped down from the front of the carriage and opened the door for the princess to come out. Everyone was practically holding in their breath. As the princess was slowly starting to come into view, everyone forgot to even breathe, their jaw were dropping in awe.

Roxas gaped openly like the many people around him at the sight of princess. She was _beautiful_. Shined all over. Dressed elegantly in a beautiful white gown.

"Princess Namine! It's an honor to finally meet you," Ansem bowed his head in respect.

Roxas was still frozen on the spot, a blank expression on his face; until he got a secret nudge on the elbow by Ansem.

"O-Oh! Um... He-Hey," he stuttered lamely, scratching the back of his head in a sheepish manner. _'Smooth, Roxas, smooth...'_He mentally punched himself for acting like an idiot.

"And this is His Highness, Prince Roxas," Ansem introduced him instead.

Naminé giggled sweetly before bowing back politely. "It's an honor to meet you as well."

The pink-haired gentleman standing beside her bowed next. "I'm the ambassador of the Hikari Kingdom, Marluxia. Pleased to make your acquaintance."

As they went on with the formalities, a loud moan of pain coming from the entrance suddenly captured everyone's attention. Slowly, everybody turned around to look at the source of the moan.

A spiky brown-haired boy with a striking resemblance to Roxas staggered in, holding his back while groaning with pain.

_'Leave it to Sora to make a 'grand' entrance...'_Roxas thought while mentally rolling his eyes.

"Awww... My back... MY BACK!" The younger prince cried hoarsely.

Naminé turned around to glance at the object of attention, a curious look on her face.

"Why are you walking like a hunchback?" Roxas asked with a raised-eyebrow.

Sora looked up to meet his brother's glare. "CAN'T YOU SEE I'M IN PAIN HERE?"

"What in heaven's name happened to you?" Ansem hissed quietly, embarrassed that their guests had to witness one of Sora's '_ungentlemanly_' acts, as he called it.

"I'll tell you what happened to me!" Sora declared angrily.

Naminé suddenly put two and two together and realized what had happened. She slowly sneaked to stand behind Marluxia. A weak attempt to hide.

"I WAS RAN OVER BY A CARRIAGE!" He exclaimed in all seriousness.

Everyone blinked, and then blinked again, dumbstruck.

Fleetly, Sora turned around to point at the carriage parked outside. "THAT CARRIAGE!"

"What in God's name were you doing under a carriage?" Ansem cried angrily, his face red from both anger and embarrassment.

"HOW STUPIDER CAN YOU GET?" Roxas exploded at the same time.

Apparently, only Roxas and Ansem took Sora seriously. The rest were still gawking at him.

"No, you don't get it!" Sora waved his hands around frustratedly. "I wasn't under it PURPOSELY! You see, I found a coin on the ground..."

"This is the most foolish thing I have ever heard..." Ansem muttered under his breath.

Roxas lowered down his head in embarrassment. "Why is he my brother...?" He mumbled to himself.

"LET ME FINISH!" Sora shouted at them, pouting childishly. "Okay, so I noticed this coin on the ground... And when I picked it up, I accidentally dropped it and it started rolling away from me! So, naturally, I ran after it, and the next thing I knew... I WAS UNDER THE CARRIAGE'S WHEELS!" He finished dramatically. "It all happened so fast!"

The audience continued gawking at him, speechless.

Sora took another step forward, only for his back to make this awful crunching sound, causing everyone to wince as he cried out in pain again.

Roxas sighed tiredly. "Why were you running after a coin in the first place idiot? You're too cheap for a prince!"

_'He's... a prince?'_ Naminé questioned in her head, blinking with surprise again.

"I only picked it up because I heard that when you find a coin on the ground, it will bring you good luck!" Sora retorted.

Everyone looked at him tediously while Naminé giggled quietly to herself.

"Good luck, HAH!" Sora huffed. "More like BAD LUCK! It caused me to be run over by a carriage! That evil thing!" He complained to himself quietly some more. "Who rode that carriage anyway?" He looked up swiftly to scan his audience.

Naminé gathered her courage and stepped out of her hiding place, behind Marluxia. Sora blinked curiously when he noticed her, he had never seen this stranger before.

She bowed her head apologetically. "I'm sorry, please forgive me! I noticed something was strange—"

"Princess, raise your head! You don't need to apologize!" Marluxia interfered a bit angrily.

"Indeed, you do not! _HE_ will apologize instead!" Ansem quickly attempted to please their guests, glaring intensely at the younger prince.

"HUH?" Sora gawked at Ansem. "I'll do no such thin—"

Roxas pulled his little brother's ear threateningly.

"Ow, ow, OW! Okay, okay! I apologize!" His older brother finally released his ear. Sora glared at him when he added, "Even though I didn't do anything wrong!"

Quickly, Ansem turned back to the guests, bowing apologetically. "I am deeply sorry for the disturbance!"

"It's alright." Marluxia waved a dismissing hand. "But I'm surprised... The King has another son?"

"Er... Yes. But he never speaks of him," Ansem smiled awkwardly.

"I can see why..." Marluxia stated, looking over at Sora, now standing perfectly fine. "Is your back alright now...Your Highness?"

Sora was spacing out, however, watching a butterfly fluttering around him.

"He's talking to you idiot!" Roxas hit him on the head to get him to focus.

"Oh, uh... Yup! It's healed!" Sora answered quickly with a carefree grin.

"You sure heal fast..." Marluxia raised an eye-brow.

"Is your hair-color natural...?" Sora asked innocently, pointing at Marluxia's pink hair. Naminé hid a giggle when Roxas hit him for the second time.

"Mind what you say! They are our special guests!" Ansem snapped at him.

"Ohh..." Sora nodded slowly, pretending to understand but in reality he hadn't a clue. "Who are they?" He asked dumbly.

Marluxia and Naminé glance at each other in surprise. "He doesn't know?" Marluxia asks Ansem curiously, who shook his head, blushing from embarrassment again.

Roxas pulled Sora to one side abruptly, away from others' earshot.

"They're from the Hikari Kingdom. And if you were actually here yesterday, you'd have heard that Father's condition is getting worse—"

"No way!" Sora paled, and then asked frantically, "Is Dad okay?"

"He's getting worse," Roxas told him grimly.

"So that means..."

"I'm getting married to this princess," Roxas announced calmly, expecting Sora's overreaction.

"WHAAAAAT?" Sora bellowed dramatically, earning startled stares from the audience. Naminé giggles again to herself in the background at the younger prince's oddity. "WHERE WAS I FROM ALL THIS?"

"You got that right! Just **WHERE WERE** you?" Roxas hissed at his brother.

Sora's eyes started shifting all over the place. It was either he was hiding something or wasn't telling the truth. Roxas knew out of experience.

"Out and about... Here and there..." Sora answered vaguely.

Roxas narrowed his eyes at his younger brother carefully. "You were out camping by yourself again weren't you?"

_Bull's eye._

"How come you know **EVERYTHING**?" Sora pouted childishly.

"Because I'm your brother," Roxas replied while rolling his eyes. "And because that's what you always do; bum around where no one can find you!"

"Um... Excuse me?" A feminine voice suddenly called them.

They turned around at the same time to find Princess Namine in all her shiny white glory standing in front of them.

"Er... Why is she here?" Sora blurted out dumbly, receiving a sideways glare from Roxas.

"Oh, everyone left already... and I was told by Mr. Ansem that one of you would escort me to my chamber—"

"She meant you bro!" Sora elbowed the older prince abruptly.

"_You're_ escorting her," Roxas ordered bluntly, glaring intimidatingly at Sora.

"Why should I?" Sora stared back at his brother with disbelief.

"Because I said so!"

"Hey Roxas," Sora grinned teasingly all of a sudden. "Are you shy 'cause she's hot?"

Suddenly, Roxas cringed a bit as his entire face exploded into a blush.

Meanwhile, Naminé was smiling awkwardly as she watched the two siblings argue.

"Excuse us for a minute!" Sora told her distractedly, and then pulled Roxas to another side.

"Dude, she's _your_ fiancée! _You_ should go with her!" He whispered into Roxas's ear.

"She's not my fiancée yet!"

"But she will be, so you better spend more time with her!"

"Not now, I have many years ahead to do it!"

Sora sighed. "Okay then tell a servant or a guard to go with her!" He said carelessly before attempting to leave.

Roxas stopped him by his arm as Naminé blinked at them curiously in the background. "Where are _you_ going?" He hissed at his younger sibling.

"Fishing."

"You go out too much!"

"Well, it's boring here!"

"Then how do you think _I_ feel? Stuck in this castle like a freakin' prisoner!"

"I feel for you bro..." Sora patted his brother's back gently, a sympathetic look on his face. "But I have to go!" He added casually before turning to leave again.

Meanwhile, Naminé is feeling more and more awkward by the second. Naturally, because the two princes in front of her are arguing over who should escort her.

_'Perhaps I should ask a servant to escort me...' _She thought dejectedly before sighing out loud.

Just as she was about to turn around, Sora popped up in front of her. She stepped back with shock; her eyes went wider in shock as he leaned in to check her face up-close.

"Wh-What is it?" She stuttered nervously, starting to blush.

He pinched her cheeks all of a sudden, grinning playfully. "Cuuute!"

She gently took off his hand, smiling shyly. "U-Um... Th-Thanks for the compliment."

"Ah! Where's Roxas?" He looked around him frantically. His brother was nowhere at sight. "Nooo! He tricked me!" He pouted to himself cutely.

"I-It's fine... I can get someone else to escort me. Excuse me." She bowed politely before starting to walk past him. Sora stopped her by her arm abruptly.

She looked up at him expectantly; her blue eyes showing hope.

"Take care then..." He paused, not knowing her name. "...Princess!" Quickly, he let go and dashed off to his destination, leaving a disappointed Naminé behind.

"It's Naminé!" She yelled after him angrily. "My name!" He was already out of earshot. She sighed heavily, her shoulders slumping.

"Princess, shall I escort you?" A random servant standing by asked.

She nodded glumly.

"Right this way Your Highness!" The servant started leading the way.

Naminé followed him dejectedly, sighing sadly every once and a while.

_'I hate this place already! The princes here are very rude! And they're not interested in me at all!'_She complained in her head. _'Huh... Wait. Which one of them is my fiancée...? No one told me…'_


	2. A Crush?

Chapter 2: _A Crush?_

Inside her room, Naminé sat dejectedly on the edge of her King sized bed, utterly depressed. Neither of the princes cared enough to check up on her, she hoped that at least her _supposed_ fiancée would come and see how she was doing.

"How rude..." She complained to herself out loud for the tenth time in five minutes.

In the end, she gave up on that shred of hope and decided to do a little roaming around by herself. Just when she was about to reach the door, however, it opened in her face.

"PRINCESS! HOW ARE YOU DOING? IS EVERYTHING ALRIGHT? DO YOU FEEL COMFORTABLE? DO YOU NEED ANYTHING ELSE? IT MUST'VE BEEN A VERY LONG AND TIRING RIDE! I CAN GIVE YOU A MASSAGE IF YOU WANT! I'M VERY GOOD AT IT! OOH! I KNOW! YOU MUST BE HUNGRY!" The visitor said – more like _yelled_ – cheerfully in one breath.

Namine, startled, kept blinking at the brunette standing in front of her in shock, dressed in a maid's uniform.

"I'M YOUR PERSONAL MAID STARTING TODAY! NICE TO MEET YOU!" She bowed her head quickly, a big grin on her face. "CALL ME SELPHIE! … Or call me whatever you want!"

"Um... It's very pleasant to meet you... Selphie," Naminé replied, wincing a bit at the maid's loud voice.

"YOU CALLED ME SELPHIE!" The brunette beamed. "YOU'RE THE BEST PRINCESS I HAVE EVER MET! SERIOUSLY! ALL THE OTHERS ARE STUCK-UP BITCHES! Uhmm… Sorry for the language!"

"Um... It's alright," Naminé nodded awkwardly. "Thank you for the compliment."

"AWW! YOU'RE VERRRY PRETTY!" Selphie's eyes sparkled while scanning Naminé up and down.

"I'm flattered, thank you," Naminé smiled warmly. "But can you lower your voice down a little please?"

"OH! … Oh," Selphie lowered her voice a bit, grinning sheepishly. "Is this okay?"

"Yes, this is a lot better. Thank you," Naminé smiled gratefully.

"If you feel down, or need an ear to listen to you, or someone to help you with your love problems... You can ALWAYS call me... SELPHIE, THE WONDER MAID!" She maked a pose, causing Naminé to giggle. "… Or so they call me!" Selphie added with a wink.

"Alright, I'll keep that in mind." Namine nodded, suppressing a laugh.

"Soo... Do you need anything now princess?" Selphie asked eagerly.

"Actually..." Naminé abruptly held her growling stomach, blushing with embarrassment. "I'm famished."

"Obviously!" Selphie giggled. "No problem! I'll ask the cook to make something special for ya!" She said before skipping off at the speed of light.

"Thank..." – Selphie was already out of sight –"...You." Naminé finished awkwardly.

_'Well... At least there's __**somebody **__nice here...' _Naminé concluded mentally, smiling happily before going back in her room.

-X-X-X-

After having a delicious meal by herself, Naminé took a walk around the castle. Nobody was around, except the guards and occasional busy servants whooshing around her every once and a while.

"Where the hell is Roxas?" A voice cursed angrily from behind Naminé.

Quickly, she turned around to find two men coming her way; one with wild flaming red hair, and the other is a blond with a mohawk hairstyle. They noticed her in front of them and stop on their tracks, gawking at her with surprise.

Naminé looked down at the floor shyly at their stare.

"Oohh! Who's this beauty?" The red-headed one asked, whistling.

"You're scaring her, Axel!" The blond replied, glaring at his partner briefly. "Don't mind him, cutie! I'm Demyx, what's your name?" He asked friendly.

Naminé swallowed nervously. These strangers looked downright creepy, and she was alone, with no one to protect her if something happened.

"Shut up, Dem! Let _me_ handle this!" The one called Axel turned back to Naminé with a creepy smirk on his face that made her feel even more uneasy, "Oy, lady! _Speak_!"

He walked closer toward her direction; Naminé took an instinctive step backwards, terrified. Then, an idea clicked in her head and she stopped, _'If I tell them I'm the prince's soon-to-be fiancée, maybe they'll let me go!' _She thought hopefully.

"OY! I order you to speak!" Axel raised his voice dangerously.

"Calm down, Ax... She's just a woman!" Demyx tried to sooth him, but Axel wasn't listening.

"I-I am Princess Naminé!" Naminé cried desperately all of a sudden, causing them to freeze.

"She speaks!" Demyx exclaimed to his partner, pointing at her.

"A-And I am the prince's..."

"...FIANCEE!" They finished for her dramatically, hitting their head as if they forgot something important. They didn't notice Naminé almost jump out of her skin at their sudden exclamation.

"How could we forget?" They looked at each other and chuckled, shaking their head.

Naminé smiled awkwardly at them, starting to feel somewhat at ease.

"How cute," Axel smirked.

"I bet they'll look so good together!" Demyx remarked giddily. "That guy sure is a lucky one!"

"But ya know, she's lacking a few things in the figure department... know what I'm saying?" Axel scanned her expertly.

"At least she's pretty!"

They kept nodding professionally, analyzing her up and down.

"You... know the princes?" Naminé asked uncertainly.

"Of course we do!" Demyx replied, grinning. "Prince Roxas is our friend!"

"We didn't officially introduce ourselves..." Axel said, smirking. "I'm Axel; my brother is Lord Reno of the Shinra Kingdom."

"And I'm Demyx, son of the Duke of this Kingdom, Cid Highwind," Demyx added, smiling naively.

_'Oh, so they're... gentlemen?' _Naminé concluded in her mind, surprised, and then bowed her head a little politely. "It's very nice to meet the both of you."

"Aww, how cute..." Demyx ruffled her hair playfully. She pouted to herself, secretly annoyed, and then quickly started readjusting her hair when he let go.

"Guys!" A voice called suddenly. They turned their head to the right to find Roxas standing there, glancing over at the pair, then at Naminé, then at the pair again. "What are you doing with her?" He asked a bit coldly, a suspicious look on his face.

"Oh, nothing… We're just having a friendly chat! Right, Nami?" Axel put an arm around Naminé, smirking devilishly at her.

"Whatever," Roxas rolled his eyes, pretending not to care. "Come on, let's go or we'll be late!"

"Hold your horses!" Axel sighed tiredly. "You're too serious sometimes man, chill out!"

"What about her?" Demyx pointed at the girl between him and Axel. "Um... can we take her with us?"

"No way!" Roxas barked abruptly, making Naminé wince slightly.

_'He is so rude...'_ She thought, pouting to herself.

"Yeah! That's a great idea, she _has_ to come!" Axel glared at Roxas tensely, trying to subdue him to agreeing with them.

Roxas glared back at Axel long and hard. But in the end, it was Axel who won the glaring the contest, smirking victoriously.

"Fine, whatever!" Roxas finally gave in, annoyed.

"I-It's alright... I don't want to go!" Naminé told the two men beside her quickly. She hated it when she was unwanted by others; and, to her, Roxas seemed to feel that way about her.

However, Axel and Demyx didn't listen. They picked her up and carried her with them.

"W-Wait! What are you doing? L-let me down! Please!" Naminé struggled uselessly.

Roxas gritted his teeth as he watched the trio walking ahead of him. _'How dare they lay a finger on my fiancée!' _He thought angrily before stomping after them.

-X-X-X-

_Castle Stables_

"We're going... riding?" Naminé asked the boys as they were standing in front of the castle stables.

"Yeah! We do that every weekend!" Demyx answered her cheerfully.

Suddenly, two young men came out of the stables.

"Wassup Your Highness?" One of them asked, a dark red-headed one with a weird accent.

"Prepare our horses Wakka," Roxas commanded in a bored fashion.

"Hey, hold it there Roxy!" Axel stepped in quickly. "What about Nami? We gotta pick a horse for her y'know! Or... Do you prefer she rides with you?" He said the last part suggestively, smirking devilishly.

"Ooh! That's a good idea!" Demyx approved, grinning.

Roxas's cheeks turned pink. "N-Noway! We'll find her a horse!" He stated nervously before stomping into the horse stables, followed by Axel and Demyx's snickering. Naminé just smiled politely, silently following the boys inside.

"Nice to meetcha princess!" The other stable boy greeted her once inside. "Name's Tidus! And that's my partner Wakka!" He pointed at the one with the funny accent. Naminé smiled at them in acknowledgement.

"Alrighty Nam! We gotta pick a horse for ya! Any preferences?" Axel asked eagerly.

"No, not really. Any one will do," Naminé replied while scanning the horses. She watched as Roxas approached a brilliantly black horse and started petting it. Smiling, she left Axel and Demyx and walked up toward him with her hands behind her back. "Is this your horse?"

Roxas turned his head to find Naminé next to him. Nervously, he looked back at the horse. "Y-Yeah."

"He's beautiful," she smiled, and then started petting the horse's head too. "What's his name?"

"Xanthus."

"What does it mean?"

"Immortal horse."

"Oh I like it!" Naminé smiled politely. "Hey there, Xanthus! I'm Naminé!" She told the horse sweetly. Xanthus neighed happily in response, causing Naminé to giggle.

Roxas watched her silently, amused.

All of a sudden, one of the horses nearby started kicking violently. Everyone turned their heads to look at the source of nuisance.

"Down, girl, down!" Wakka tried to calm it down. Naminé walked carefully toward it, a chocolate brown young horse with shaggy hair. When it spotted Naminé, it calmed down instantly and stared back at her silently. Naminé blinked at it with surprise.

"That's Sora's horse!" Tidus told her, sighing. "She's a troublesome one!"

"Just like her owner ya?" Wakka added with a tired sigh.

_'He has a bad reputation everywhere…' _Naminé noted in her head, feeling sorry for the younger prince.

Without warning, the horse leapt forward and rubbed her head against Naminé's in an affectionate manner. Naminé laughed amusedly, instantly falling in love with the horse.

"What's her name?" She asked the stable boys giddily.

Tidus and Wakka looked at each other, scratching the back of their heads sheepishly.

"Uh... Her name is Princess Cookie," Tidus finally told her.

Naminé burst into a joyful laughter. "_He_ named her that right?"

"Obviously ya?" Wakka grinned.

Naminé shook her head, grinning. "How cute!"

"You can ride it if you want!" Roxas told coldly while mounting his horse.

Naminé turned to him quickly. "I-I can't... She's your brother's—"

Roxas whooshed past her on his horse, exiting the stables. Naminé blinked in confusion. She didn't notice Axel come and stand next to her.

"Oops... You made him jealous," Axel told her blankly while watching Roxas ride away.

"Impossible!" She retorted automatically while turning to him. "He has a problem with his attitude, is all…"

"Oho! You're starting to understand the complexity that is Roxas! Good job!" He smirked, clapping randomly.

"Hey Nami, have you picked a horse yet?" Demyx asked, appearing by her other side.

"Yes, this one!" Grinning while she pointed at Princess Cookie, who neighed excitedly.

"Cookie? You sure?" Demyx asked worriedly.

"Yes, why?" Naminé blinked at him curiously.

"_Because_... Cookie here, like her owner, has the sense of direction of a FISH. She'll crash into trees and boulders without any hesitation," Axel explained with a smirk.

"She can't be that stupid..." Naminé giggled lightly, not believing what he said.

"Oh trust us, she is," Axel and Demyx assured her at the same time.

Naminé sighed defeatedly, giving in. "Alright... Sorry Cookie," she told her sadly. "I can't ride you today. Maybe another time?"

The horse neighed sadly, lowering her head as if she understood what Naminé had just told her.

-X-X-X-

In the end, Naminé chose a beautiful white female horse named Yuki. She and Yuki took a ride around the fields until they spotted Roxas a bit further ahead. Angry with his attitude earlier, Naminé was determined to race him. But Yuki was no match for Xanthus, and she lost the race.

Once they got back to the stables around sunset, Naminé glared long and hard at Roxas as he jumped down his horse, a satisfied smirk on his face that he couldn't suppress.

"I _will_ win next time!" She told him challengingly, irritated at his smugness.

He didn't say anything back and simply ignored her. She could note the smirk on his face stretching though as he patted his horse.

She puffed cutely. "I only lost because the dress I'm wearing... got in the way!" She said in an attempt to save the last of her dignity.

"Sure," he told her casually as he took off the saddle.

Her pout deepened. She ignored him back and walked out of the stables irritatedly. Axel and Demyx blinked confusedly at her, and then shrugged casually to themselves.

"Women," Axel told Demyx simply, who snickered.

-X-X-X-

Without a word the entire way, Roxas guided Naminé back to her room. There, waiting for them by her door, was Ansem and Marluxia.

"Oh, they're back!" Ansem exclaimed happily.

"Did you have fun Princess?" Marluxia asked with a smile.

"Yes, I have," Naminé replied, forcing back a smile.

"That is good to hear!" Ansem beamed, and then looked over at Roxas. "I'm glad you behaved yourself for once!"

_'Behaved himself... Suure,' _Naminé mentally rolled her eyes.

"Hn," was Roxas' meaningless reply. Naminé's forced smile started to twitch.

"Ah, that reminds me! You have to take Naminé in a tour around the castle tomorrow!" Ansem announced.

"What?" Roxas and Naminé exclaimed at the same time.

"Well, it is very necessary that the princess knows her surroundings!" Ansem explained.

"But why me..." Roxas whined quietly. "Why can't that good-for-nothing idiot do it instead?"

"Your brother himself gets lost numerous times in this castle, and you want HIM to take the princess on a tour?"

"Fine!" Roxas snapped, and then sighed. "I'll do it!"

"So it's settled," Ansem smiled victoriously.

"Great!" Marluxia exclaimed, smiling. "Now princess, go inside and have your rest! It's been a very long day!"

Naminé mentally agreed, it had been a long and tiring day. "Alright... Excuse me, everyone."

"Hn," Roxas 'replied' carelessly before leaving himself.

Ignoring him, she bowed her head a little and went into her room.

-X-X-X-

Inside, she threw herself on her gigantic bed, sighing heavily.

_'A tour, huh... With Prince Roxas...' _She grimaced. _'Why can't it be the other one? He seems nicer...'_

Marluxia knocked her door gently before entering.

"What's the matter?" Naminé asked curiously, sitting up.

"I just wanted to check something with you..."

"What is it?"

"How are the princes so far?" He asked her seriously.

"They're... Okay," Naminé replied hesitantly. "One of them is a little rude though. And the other one... I can't find the right word for him yet!"

"I see," Marluxia nodded understandingly.

"Oh, that's right! I wanted to ask you this... can you tell me which prince I'll be getting married to?"

Marluxia smiled mysteriously. "Who do you hope it is?"

Naminé's eyes shifted around nervously, and then she shrugged a bit, avoiding eye-contact. "I don't care."

"Really?" Marluxia's mysterious smiled stretches.

"Are you going to tell me who is it or not?" Naminé countered, a bit irritated.

"Why don't you find out yourself?"

Namine sighed. "I knew you'd say that..."

He only chuckled in response. "Good night, princess."

"Hey! You haven't told me! It's unfair!"

He already made it out and shut the door behind him.

"Hmph!"

-X-X-X-

"MORNING! RISE AND SHINE PRINCESS!" A glass-shattering, ear-deafening, ground-shaking and soul-penetrating voice yelled.

"Selphie? Is it morning already?" Namine stretched, rising up on her bed lazily.

"Yeah! Now let's hurry up and get you ready or we'll be super late for breakfast!"

"Wait..." Naminé stopped her abruptly, staring down at the sheets in deep thought. "I have to tell you about this very strange dream I had…"

"Dream?" Selphie blinked curiously before quickly sitting on the edge of the princess's bed to listen. She loved chat and gossip more than anything.

"Mhm... I dreamed about a little boy... He was crying, looking for his mother... But nobody paid attention or cared enough to help him. He had these saddest blue eyes I've ever seen... My heart went out to him… But when I offered to help him look for his mother, he brushed me off. 'They told me she'd be here', he said to me, crying. 'They lied. Adults always lie. I hate them.' Then he ran away..." Naminé explained her dream with a perplexed expression.

Selphie kept nodding her head slowly, mystified. "Well... That's one weird dream you had!" She finally said, chuckling.

"I wonder who the little boy is..." Naminé said quietly. "He seemed like he was suffering a lot…"

"How did he look like?"

"Mmmm... weird," Naminé tilted her head to one side thoughtfully. "I don't remember!"

"You only remember that he has blue eyes?"

She nodded.

"That doesn't help much!" Selphie sighed disappointedly. "Oh well, I bet it's just another random, meaningless dream everyone has once in a while!"

Naminé looked away uncertainly. _'But it felt so... meaningful? I don't know why, but I __think it means something. It has to.'_

"Let's get you ready for breakfast!" Selphie snapped her out of her thoughts.

"A-Ah... Sure…" Naminé got off her bed and started going through the usual morning routines with Selphie's help.

-X-X-X-

_Dining Hall_

Naminé was late. Everyone had already finishing eating breakfast before her. Selphie told her that she could eat by herself again, that there had to be some leftovers saved for her.

Just as Naminé was about to enter the dining hall, she heard some loud noise coming from inside, which seemed like two people in there are arguing.

"Are you trying to KILL us with your creepy looking food…" A pause, like they had forgotten the other person's name. "Old woman?"

"I AM NOT OLD!"

Naminé stepped in, curious to see what was the fuss about. She was surprised, however, when she found that Sora was there as well. And it seemed that he was the one arguing with one of the servants. A cranky looking woman dressed all in black.

_'It's the other prince!' _Naminé exclaimed excitedly in her head. _'Good, I was planning to find an opportunity to talk to him!'_

A loud pound on the table snapped Naminé out of her thoughts. The servant woman in black was furious.

"YOU KNOW, BEFORE I BECAME A COOK IN THIS FILTHY KITCHEN I WAS ONCE A—"

Sora started rocking back and forth in his chair casually with his arms behind his head, his boots on the table, and a bored expression on his face. "Yeah, yeah... I heard the story Maleficent! You were once in love with a handsome duke, but when he finally took a real look on your face... he left you and ran for his life…" He told her while tediously rolling his eyes.

"Wh-Why you...!" Maleficent gritted her teeth, mumbling curses under her breath.

Naminé smiled awkwardly as she watched the two argue, completely oblivious of her presence.

"I PRAY THAT YOU CHOKE ON YOUR MEAL!" Maleficent declared dramatically, a wicked dark aura surrounding her.

"I'm not even going to eat this thing! What IS this thing? There's something floating in there!" He leaned away from the table, repulsed, eying the bowl in front of him like it was the most horrid thing in the world.

"That is my specialty!" Maleficent smiled – more like _smirked_ – proudly. "Rat broth!"

Sora jolted away from his chair abruptly, as if struck by lightning. Naminé giggled quietly to herself, finding his reaction hilarious.

He pointed a shaking finger at the bowl. "Th-th-there's a dead **RAT** in there?" He squeaked hysterically.

"Oh, yes! Seifer and his companions kindly caught hundreds of them from the castle dungeons for me! So do not fear! Eat to your stomach's content! There's plenty more in stock!" Maleficent's sinister smirk stretched.

Sora coverd his mouth, a sick look on his face. "I-I think I'm going to puke!"

Naminé did the same too, her face turning greener by the moment.

"Make sure you don't throw up in my dining hall! Or ELSE..." Maleficent threatened darkly.

_'Scary... she looks like a witch!'_ Naminé stepped back instinctively.

"Why can't we have a _normal_ breakfast for once?" Sora whined, pouting. Naminé silently agreed, nodding her head from where she was standing.

"Like cake, jelly... COOKIES!"

She burst out giggling, shaking her head. _'__**That's **__supposed to be normal? But… he's kind of cute!'_

"Then you can go ahead and starve for all I care!" Maleficent huffed, picking up the plates. "And this is the thanks I get for cooking one of my specialties for a lazy prince who didn't even make it on time for breakfast..." She complained quietly to herself.

"Fine then, I'm leaving! But I'm taking this with me!" Sora declared before grabbing a piece of bread and stuffing it in his mouth.

Naminé prepared herself to confront of him as he would soon pass by her to exit the dining hall.

"Um...!" Naminé called out timidly at the younger prince. Unfortunately for her, Sora whooshed by in a hurry without even noticing her presence.

"He didn't even notice me standing here..." She sighed dejectedly, her shoulders slumping.

"That's prince Sora for ya!" Selphie popped out of nowhere to stand next to Naminé. "Never stays in one place... Be glad you even got to see him! He usually disappears for WEEKS!"

"What does he _do_?" Naminé asked curiously.

Selphie barked a laugh. "Him? Actually DO something? HAH... Yeah right! He just lazes around places where no one can find him and drag him back to attend their princely lessons!"

"Sounds like... a very lazy prince," Naminé giggled lightly.

"What did you want him for anyway?" Selphie asked interrogatively, raising an eyebrow.

"Umm... Nothing very important!" Naminé forced an innocent smile.

"Aaahh..." Selphie drawled out suggestively, an amused glint in her eyes. "So you like him."

Naminé froze, caught off-guard. "N-No. Um. I-I'm just curious about him, is all..."

"So you like him."

"Wh-What makes you think that? I just think of him as... an interesting individual."

"So you like him."

"I-I'm telling you, that is not it! He... How can I put it? Um... He has this special aura about him that makes you smile." Naminé tried to explain.

"Ha! So you like him!"

"Oh, whatever!" Naminé pouted cutely, turning away from Selphie.

"Alright! I get it, I get!" Selphie laughs amusingly, patting Naminé on the back. "You're only...'curious' about the enigma that is Prince Sora!"

"Exactly!" Naminé exclaimed before mentally sighing with relief. For some reason, that conversation caused her face to flush.

"What about the other one?" Selphie asked. "Prince Roxas! He's closer to normal, just as cute and actually has a clue!"

"He needs to fix his attitude a little though," Naminé replied, frowning.

Selphie giggled, and then excused herself to go back to work, leaving Naminé to eat her breakfast meal. She didn't touch the rat broth, however, and Maleficent was nice to her, unlike how she was with Sora.

She concluded that Maleficent must be annoyed by him. After all, everybody in this castle seemed to be…

-X-X-X-

_Castle Hallway_

"Oh, Prince Roxas! There you are!" Ansem beamed as he spotted Roxas walking alone just ahead of him.

Roxas stopped and turned around, an annoyed look on his face. "What?"

"Ah, thank Goodness I found you!" Ansem sighed with relief. "Did you forget? Today you are supposed to take the Princess on a tour around the castle!"

"Oh, about that... I promised Leon I'd spar with him today."

"What?" Ansem exclaimed.

"But I arranged for someone else to take my place, so... don't worry," Roxas quickly explained.

"You...! Do you not understand the purpose of this tour? It is supposed to bring you two closer!" Ansem lost his temper, his face as red as a tomato.

Roxas shiftd around uncomfortably.

"What's wrong?" Ansem eyed him worriedly. "Do you not like her?"

Roxas didn't reply.

"Why not? She is beautiful, kind, gracious—"

"I know!" Roxas snapped at him irritatedly.

"Then why not!"

"I-it's not that..." Roxas shifted uncomfortably again. "I...I'm just not good with people!" Then he mumbled to himself quietly, "Especially girls..."

"Ahh!" Ansem broke into a teasing smiling suddenly. "You are shy."

"I'M NOT SHY!" Roxas exploded at him. Ansem only laughed in response.

"I see," Ansem nodded, still smiling. "If that is the case, then I do not mind! We shall wait until you get over your... shyness!"

"I TOLD YOU I AM _NOT_ SHY!"

Ansem laughed out loud again before turning around, leaving an irritated and embarrassed Roxas behind.

-X-X-X-

_Later that day..._

Hayner and Pence – the castle guards, and another set of Roxas' friends – took her for the tour instead. Naminé is not surprised, Roxas didn't seem too thrilled about taking her the last time they saw each other. And she didn't mind either. At least now she wouldn't have to deal with his attitude.

Hayner and Pence were very friendly. Selphie-kind-of-friendly. They talked non-stop, especially Pence, as they showed her around the place. The castle was huge. Luckily, Namine had a good memory, so she was sure that she wouldn't be getting lost around here in the future.

"Oh and this is Prince Sora's room!" Pence pointed at door by the end of the hallway.

Namine eyed it curiously. "It's not that far from mine! We're just..." She counted the doors between them. "Five doors apart!"

"Prince Roxas' room is even closer!" Hayner told her, pointing at the one only a door away from hers.

"Wow! He's practically my neighbor..." Namine said, amazed. Then she turned back to look at Sora's room. _'I wonder if he's in his room...'_ Her eyed expand in size a bit when she noticed a beautiful red-headed girl standing in front of it.

"Who is she?" Namine asked curiously.

"Oh, that's Princess Kairi... She visits here often!" Pence answered her cheerfully.

"She's from the Hollow Bastion Kingdom!" Hayner added.

As if sensing them talking about her, the red-headed beauty turned around to face them.

"Uh-oh! She's looking our way!" Pence exclaimed in panic.

"Let's pretend we didn't notice her there!" Hayner quickly said before making strange 'I-just-happened-to-look-that-way' poses with his partner.

Naminé blinked at them curiously. "Why are you doing this? She seems nice..." Looking back, she noticed that Kairi was actually coming their way.

"Hey there!" She greeted Naminé cheerfully, a big smile on her pretty face.

Naminé found herself automatically smiling back. "H-Hello..."

"Are you princess Naminé?"

"Yes, I am."

Her smile stretched. "It's nice to finally meet you! I'm Kairi! Another fellow princess!" She introduced herself, giggling.

_'She seems like a very happy person... I like her!'_Naminé bowed respectively. "Nice to meet you too, Princess Kairi!"

"You don't have to bow, really!" Kairi waved her hands in front of her quickly. "Aww, you embarrassed me!" She cupped her now blushing face.

Namine giggled sweetly at the other princess' reaction.

Kairi looked behind Namine to find Hayner and Pence, who cringed when she detected them.

"YOU TWO!" She yelled at them angrily. "Didn't I tell you to put high security around Sora's room?"

"Y-Yeah... Yo-You did..." They stuttered nervously while looking down at the floor like kids getting scolded.

"THEN WHY THE HECK DID HE STILL MANAGE TO ESCAPE HUH? HUUH?"

They shrunk back, holding on to each other for support.

"Well, he IS Prince Sora..." Hayner began before getting elbowed on the stomach by Pence, in an attempt to shut him up.

"SLACKERS!" Kairi yelled angrily at them again, causing the poor duo to shiver abruptly at her volume.

_'I wonder what sort of relationship she has with Prince Roxas' brother...'_ Naminé wondered inquisitively.

"I can't believe it! He just can't stay in one place, can he?" Kairi rubbed her forehead, sighing.

_'Oh, how many times did I hear that line, I wonder...'_Naminé thought sarcastically.

"Excuse me for asking this... but can you tell me why do you need him in the first place?" Naminé asked as politely as possible.

"Oh, that's right... you don't know!" Kairi said, smiling a little. "Sora and I are childhood friends. Together with our third friend Riku. Who's probably with Sora right now. We usually hang out together. I can't believe they ditched me again..." She mumbled the last part to herself, frowning.

"Oh, I see... You're friends," Naminé smiled widely. _'Was that... Relief, I felt? ...No, I don't think that's possible!'_

"Well, I'll see you later Nami! We can get together in a princess slumber party or something someday, okay?" Kairi winked playfully at the last part.

Smiling politely, Namine nodded. "Sure!"

Later, Kairi left to where she came from. The blond princess turned around to face her tour guides. "She is very nice!"

"That was only because YOU were with us!" Hayner stated, sighing with relief that the threat was gone.

"Yeah! If you weren't, we would have been DEAD!" Pence added dramatically.

"She has the craziest temper ever! Crazier than even Prince Axel's and Lord Saix's!" Hayner told her darkly.

"Even crazier than Hayner's!" Pence interjected.

Hayner turned his head to glare at him. "I DO **NOT** HAVE A SHORT TEMPER!"

"Clearly..." Pence replied sarcastically.

Namine shook her head, smiling amusedly as the two started to quarrel.

_Later... In front of the Library_

"And this... is the library!" Hayner told Naminé. "Where our nerdy friend, Olette, wastes most of her time read—"

"ARE YOU TWO LOAFING AROUND AGAIN?" Olette appeared in front of them, folding her arms and tapping her feet angrily.

"Speak of the devil..." Hayner blinked with amazement. Pence snickered behind him while Namine stepped in to formally introduce herself to the young librarian.

"Hello, I'm princess Naminé."

Olette ignored her friends and smiled at the blonde. "Oh, you don't have to tell me! I already know of you! It's nice to finally see you in person!" Olette said friendly, taking Namine's hand forcefully and shaking it. "Sorry, was that too forward?" She giggled sheepishly.

"No, no! It's alright…" Naminé smiled warmly. "It is also nice to meet you... You're friends with Hayner and Pence is that right?"

"Unfortunately," Olette made a face.

"Hey!" The boys yelled at the same time, pouting.

The girls giggled at them and then turned back to each other.

"So, how does it feel to be part of an arranged marriage without love?... or is there?" Olette asked mysteriously.

Naminé's eyes sparkled. "Do you, by any chance, know which of the princes I'm getting married to?"

Olette nodded.

"Who?" Naminé asked anxiously.

"I'm sorry... But we're under strict orders from Lord Ansem that we don't tell you. Under any circumstance…" Olette told her apologetically. "I don't like it but if I want to keep my job, I have to do what they tell me! ...Sorry."

"Weird..." Naminé muttered to herself, perplexed. "Why are they keeping it from me?"

Olette shrugged. "I will NEVER understand royalty! … No offense!"

Naminé smiled, shaking her head. "None taken!"

"But don't worry... you'll probably find out soon when the Council starts the meetings and the arrangements and all these boring stuff!" Olette assurec her.

"Princess, let's get on with the tour!" Hayner exclaimed excitedly.

"Um... Alright, I'm coming!" Naminé replied back at him before turning to the brunette again. "It was very nice to meet you, Olette."

"Same here," Olette smiled back and waved goodbye returning to the library.

_Entrance Hall_

"...And that concludes our exciting adventure around Twilight Castle!" Pence announced exaggeratedly once they're back to their starting point.

"Thank you very much. That was very fun!" Naminé smiled at the two guards appreciatively, who blush instantly at the sight of her angelic smile.

"Ah, it was nothing!" Hayner kicked the floor sheepishly.

"Yeah... We just did our job!" Pence added, grinning.

"Um... You said you're friends with Prince Roxas, is that right?"

Hayner and Pence nodded.

"Are you friends with... his brother, too?" Naminé asked carefully.

They looked at each other, exchanging a troubled look. A reaction Naminé got used to getting when asking anyone about the brown-haired prince.

"Prince Sora? Umm... Sooort of..." Pence answered her uncertainly, scratching the back of his head and smiling weakly.

"Why?" Naminé pressed automatically, her curiosity about Sora overwhelming her.

"He doesn't stay here often... Usually, he disappears for days! Nobody knows where he goes, or what he does. But mostly, he'd be hanging out with Prince Riku and Princess Kairi, his best friends," Hayner explained.

"He doesn't think of Kairi as a best friend though..." Pence muttered quietly to Hayner, but Namine didn't hear him.

"What about his responsibilities as a prince?" Namine asked with disbelief.

"He doesn't seem to care..." Pence answered her, shrugging.

"Is he _really_ a prince?" Naminé asked doubtfully, chuckling lightly.

"Yeshhh, I am!" A voice answered cheerfully from behind Naminé, startling her.

Slowly, she turned around to find none other than Prince Sora himself standing behind her, a goofy grin on his face.

Naminé blinked at him repeatedly, to make sure if he was really there or not.

"U-Um..." She swallowed panicky, her eyes sinking to the floor instead of maintaining eye-contact with the younger prince. Suddenly, she was beginning to feel nervous, her knees were starting to become weak, her body temperature was rising by the second and her heart-beat was increasing abnormally.

Was this what they call... _A Crush?_

-X-X-X-


	3. Wrong Prince

_The art of love... is largely the art of persistence. ~Albert Ellis_

Chapter 3: _Wrong Prince_

"Why do you people ask that whenever you see me?" Sora asked before yawning loudly, an exhausted look on his face. He looked like he hadn't slept for days, Naminé noted.

"Oh!" His eyes went wide when he recognized Naminé after she turned around completely to face him. "R...R... Ro..." He tried to pronounce his brother's name, but apparently, his memory had failed him. "...Wifey!" He exclaimed eventually with a triumphant grin, pointing at her.

Naminé blushed tremendously, mishearing what he had just said. "I-I am not anyone's wife!" Naminé quickly replied, trying to suppress the elated feeling in her chest. Her blush deepened cutely. "...Y-Yet," She mumbled the last part to herself, looking down at the ground timidly.

"Here!" Sora startled her when he took her hand and put a half eaten apple on it. "You can have this!" He said with a tired grin before walking away past her.

Naminé blinked stupidly at the half-eaten apple in her hand as Sora staggered like a drunken man to the stairs.

"O-Oy! P-Prince!" Hayner called out angrily, reaching after the younger prince. "H-how can you give the princess something like this!"

Suddenly, Sora collapsed to the ground; his body was sprawled about on the stairs.

Namine, Hayner and Pence panicked, their eyes went wide in shock; automatically fearing the worst. But then; Sora snored loudly. He was sleeping.

Hayner and Pence rolled their eyes tiredly while Naminé stifled a giggle.

Pence and Hayner hurried toward the prince and attempted to wake him up.

"OY! YOUR HIGHNESS! N-NO SLEEPING ON THE STAIRS... O-OR I'LL TELL LORD ANSEM!" Hayner screamed loudly next to his ear, but Sora was in deep sleep.

"Your highness, YOUR HIGHNESS! PLEASE WAKE UP... I BEG YOU!" Pence tried to shake him awake by his collar, but Sora's only response was a louder snore.

Pence and Hayner sighed deeply.

"I guess we have to carry him all the way to his room... _again_," Pence told Hayner miserably.

_'Again?'_ Naminé barely suppressed a laugh, watching them carry him off while muttering complaints and curses under their breath.

_'...And I guess that's the end of my tour,' _she thought to herself, giggling out loud as she watched the duo struggle while making several attempts to carry the prince up the stairs to his room. Then she glanced down at the eaten apple in her hand and smiled softly.

_'He's the unprinceliest prince I have ever met... And yet... Something about him... is very refreshing!'_

-X-X-X-

_Later that night_

Naminé had to spend some formal time with Prince Roxas, Lord Ansem and her ambassador, Marluxia. They were sitting at a table on one of the balconies looking down at the royal garden.

Ansem and Marluxia were discussing their kingdoms' various affairs while Roxas stared tediously at the other direction with his hand holding up his cheek. He hadn't said a word since he was dragged here to join them, and neither had Naminé…

All Naminé could think about was her latest encounter with the wild younger prince earlier this day. She couldn't let him out of her mind, and just thinking about him gave her a fluttery and happy feeling in her heart that she couldn't describe.

"Why isn't Prince Roxas's brother joining us?" Marluxia asked Ansem suddenly, earning both Roxas's and Naminé's attention.

"We could not find him," Ansem replied while forcing out a smile. "He is hard to get a hold of, that one," he forced out a chuckle this time as Roxas silently rolled his eyes. Naminé hid a smile.

Marluxia's eyes fell on Roxas then. "It must have been most hard on _you_… having such an irresponsible and useless sibling."

Roxas glared at him, catching the pink-head off-guard. "Don't talk bad about my brother," he threatened him darkly.

Naminé stared at Roxas in surprise. _'He cares about his brother…' _She noted mentally, smiling softly at Roxas.

Roxas caught her smiling that way at him and blushed, looking away instantly.

Later, after Marluxia and Ansem had enough talking, each one of them went back to their respective rooms to call it a night.

_Next day, breakfast time_

While Naminé was in the middle of the stairs, on her way down to the Dining Hall for breakfast, someone whizzed by her fleetingly; sliding down the stairs while laughing with innocent glee.

Looking down the stairs to see who had just slid past her, Naminé's eye widened in surprise when she noticed it was Sora; the younger prince.

_'He is like a child... How cute!'_She thought to herself while giggling amusedly as she watched him make a graceful landing at the end of the stairs.

Without warning, he turned around and looked up, catching her staring. A startled Naminé stopped smiling instantly and pretended to look elsewhere.

"It's fun, wanna try?" He asked excitedly all of a sudden, grinning in a playful manner.

She pointed at her self stupidly, as if she was asking, '_Me?'_

Sora nodded.

She blinked slowly, surprised. "B-But... what if someone sees me?" She said uncertainly, looking around them.

"Oh, how boring..." Sora sighed with his hands folded behind his head, turning around to leave.

"W-Wait!" She cried after him hesitantly.

He turned around with a questioning raised-eyebrow.

"I-I'll do it!" She declared boldly, sighing with defeat.

"Alright!" He broke into a huge and happy grin.

"Okay..." She gulped nervously, preparing herself to slide down. "H-here I go..."

Sora looked up at her expectantly as she hesitated.

"Don't worry, I'll catch you!" He assured her, moving to stand at the end.

"U-Um... Maybe I shouldn't do this..."

Sora pouted childishly. "Chicken."

"I am _not_ a chicken!" She yelled at him angrily.

"Prove it!"

"B-But this is not suitable for a princess!"

"Boring! So you're like all the other guys..." He rolled his eyes tediously.

Namine sighed exasperatedly. "Fine! I'll do it!" She declared bravely. "Look, I-I'm doing it!" Quickly, she closed her eyes and let herself slide down the stairs.

"YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO OPEN YOUR EYES!" She heard Sora shout at her panicky.

All of a sudden, it felt like she was flying, then, just as quickly as it started, the flying sensation ended with an abrupt clash against something... or one.

Namine opened her eyes hesitantly to find that she had just landed onto Sora. **ON** Sora. She fell on the poor prince and now he was sprawled about on the hard marble floor of the castle, moaning with pain.

Her head was lying just above his shoulder and the entire position was entirely awkward. Her face turned beet red in an instant, but no matter how much she wanted to get out of this situation, she couldn't seem to make herself move. Her body was completely frozen.

_'Is he unconscious? Oh please say he is...'_ Naminé pleaded desperately in her head.

"Wow! I can feel your heartbeat!" She heard Sora mumble in awe underneath her.

She panicked and quickly jolted as far away from him as possible.

He sat up upright, scratching the back of his head where it hurt and grinning at Naminé innocently. "Your heart is beating so fast... does it hurt?" He asked curiously, seemingly completely unaffected.

She looked at the ground, speechless. Her face was practically radiating heat.

"Wow... is that how much you're scared? This is NOTHING compared to the stairs at Riku's castle… Trust me!" He stated as he was getting up, chuckling in a way that seemed naïve.

_'And, apparently... he's a complete __**idiot**__!' _Naminé thought frustratedly in her head, glaring at Sora as he was dusting himself, seemingly absolutely oblivious of her frustration. _'He had __**no **__reaction whatsoever! Am I that... unattractive?'_She thought sadly to herself, frowning.

Suddenly, like the wind, Sora ran off toward a random direction. Curious on why he seemed in such a hurry, Naminé went after him…

_A few minutes later..._

Naminé was panting heavily while running after Sora around the castle hallways. "S-Stop... Wh-Where are you going?"

Sora stopped abruptly at the voice, and then turned around, surprised to see Naminé after him. "You're after me? Why?" He asked bluntly, blinking down dumbly at her panting figure.

"Why are you in such a hurry?" Naminé asked him with genuine curiosity. "Where are you going?"

"The dining room... hall... place... thingy," he answered casually, shrugging.

"Then why aren't we there yet? We're going on circles!"

Sora stared at her blankly. "We are?"

"Are you... lost?" She questioned with a suspicious look in her eyes.

"Me? Lost?" He barked out a nervous laugh. "Haha, n-no way!"

She broke into a huge teasing smile. "You ARE lost," she pointed at him accusingly, a highly amused giggle evident in her voice. "In your own castle!"

"I-I'm not!" His eyes shifted around like a child busted doing something bad. "I just... don't know where I am... right now," he finished lamely.

She laughed at him as he pouted childishly, humiliated. "Admit it, you're lost!" Then she thought to herself amusedly, _'He's more like his brother than I thought! They both have a lot of pride!'_

"Don't worry okay? I can smell our way to the dinner... place!" Sora shrugged in a carefree manner.

She giggled some more. "Oh, and that's clearly working right now..."

Suddenly, Sora's stomach growled loudly. He sighed sadly as he rubbed it.

"Why don't you ask the servants to guide you there?" Naminé suggested, trying to suppress her giggle. "Whenever you get lost?"

"I can't! It's a challenge between me and myself! I have to find the way without asking for help!"

Naminé grinned, greatly amused. " I see…" She stopped grinning when she noticed Sora suddenly watching her with a calculating look that made her feel nervous.

"Uhh... B-But you can..." He began, scratching the back of his head sheepishly.

Naminé stared at his serious face timidly, a blush creeping on her cheeks again.

"…Ask them," He finally finished, looking down at the floor shamefully.

"Huh?" She blinked at him dumbly, caught off-guard.

"You can ask the servants if you want..."

"Ask them what?"

"You know... To point you to the right direction."

"You mean _us_," she smiled, shaking her head. She pointed at the right direction and told him with a smile, "I know the way and I've only been here a few days… The dining hall is that way!"

When they finally get there, the pair noticed Roxas coming out of dining hall. He blinked at his younger brother curiously when he spotted him coming first.

"Roxas!" Sora beamed when he saw him. "Wassup?"

Roxas let out a mischievous grin at his brother.

Naminé blinked curiously at the sight of his smile before thinking to herself, _'He should smile more often...'_

"Hey bird-brain, did you get lost again?" Roxas joked.

"NO!" Sora retorted automatically while looking the other way, pouting. Naminé giggled to herself.

Suddenly, Roxas noticed Naminé's presence and frowned, looking away nervously. "U-Uh... And y-you're late for breakfast… a-again," he told the brunette, scratching the back of his head sheepishly.

Naminé noticed that he was trying to ignore her presence and pouted, looking away and glaring at the other direction too.

Sora glanced awkwardly at the two, smiling weakly. Then he turned to Naminé giddily, "Don't worry about it…" He began but pauses thoughtfully, because, again, he apparently 'forgot' the poor blonde's name. "…Princess. Roxy always gets tongue-tied around girls!"

"I-I DO NOT!" Roxas glared angrily at his brother abruptly, blushing. Naminé snickered quietly at him in the background.

"Yeah, yeah… Suure!" Sora rolled his eyes and his made his way past Roxas to enter the dining hall. "Ahh! Finally... After a long journey... FOOD!"

Roxas was left alone with Naminé. A long, quiet and awkward moment passed.

"H-How was the tour?" Roxas asked suddenly while avoiding eye-contact, nervous.

"Good…" Naminé answered carefully, staring at the door beyond Roxas, where Sora had left.

"Good," Roxas responded abruptly, trying to hide his nervousness.

_Silence._

"L-Later!" Roxas said suddenly, walking past Namine in a hurry.

"Later," Naminé replied nearly at the same time, entering the dining hall's door in a hurry.

_Inside the dining hall_

"Where's Roxas's brother?" Naminé asked Maleficent when she noticed that Sora was nowhere at sight in the dining hall.

Maleficent was busy cleaning the table, but she huffed at the mention of the younger prince.

"That boy left. He gulped down his food like a starved beast and left!" She told her with disgust, shaking her head. "I can not believe he is our prince… Such a disgrace! Thank heavens we have Prince Roxas!"

"Left!" Namine exclaimed with disbelief. "But I was by the door the entire time, and I didn't see him coming out!"

"Through the window," Maleficent explained with a sigh.

"Through the what?" Naminé asks uncertainly, raising an eyebrow.

"The window!"

"I… see…" Naminé nodded slowly before taking a seat at the dinner table. "Um… What do we have left for dinner tonight?"

"Bat broth!" Maleficent declared excitedly.

"B-Bat broth…?" Naminé gulped down slowly, feeling sick. "D-did he eat that too?"

"Prince Sora? Oh yes!"

"Really?" Naminé's eyes widened in disbelief.

"I told him its chicken soup!" Maleficent said with a devilish wink.

'_Poor him…'_ Naminé thought to herself. "What about Prince Roxas and the others?" She asked curiously.

"Oh they had something else, of course!" Maleficent replied casually. "Prince Roxas said he's allergic to bats! What a shame!"

'_Or so he says…' _Naminé commented mentally with a weak smile.

"Um… I'll have what they had, please. Is there any leftovers?" Naminé said as politely as possible.

"You don't want to try my specialty?" Maleficent asked sadly.

"Oh, I want to, trust me… It's merely because… I'm allergic to bats as well! Hehe…" Then quickly, Naminé decided to change the subject. "Um, so, where does the window lead to?"

"The windows…? Outside, of course…" Maleficent answered dumbly.

"Where outside?"

"The castle gardens…"

"I see," Naminé mumbled to herself thoughtfully. "That's where he went…"

-X-X-X-

_Castle Gardens_

After finishing her breakfast meal, Naminé wandered about alone in the castle garden. Suddenly, while she was walking around peacefully and admiring the flowers, an apple fell on her head.

"Ow!" She rubbed her head where it hurt, and then looked up instinctively to find Sora climbing an apple tree, trying to snatch off some apples from the branches, but most of them fell before he could touch them.

"Crap!" He cursed as another apple fell down, out of his reach.

'_He never ceases to surprise me…' _She smiled softly to herself.

Finally, Sora managed to catch one before it fell. "YES!" He held up the apple like a trophy. "I GOT IT!" Suddenly, he was losing balance. Quickly, he hugged the tree branch with all his might just in time, sighing with relief.

Naminé giggled amusedly at him.

Sora looked down curiously when he heard her voice. He broke into a wide grin when he noticed who it is. "Oh! It's… you!" He said with a pause, because once again, he 'forgot' her name.

Naminé blushed. "Um… Hey there," she said shyly up at him, her hands behind her back.

"Want an apple?" He offered giddily.

"A-Ah, sure."

He threw one down to her. Naminé was startled, but somehow, it landed right in her hands. She gawked at it and then up at the grinning Sora in awe.

"This is as sorry for last time…" Sora said sheepishly. "Y'know… When I gave you an eaten apple! … Sorry about that!"

Namine shook her head quickly.

"No it's alright; you were… tired and didn't know what you're doing!"

"I was sleep-walking."

"Oh…" Naminé looked down, nodding slowly in understanding. "So you sleep-walk…" She giggled quietly to herself.

Without warning, Sora jumped down in front of her. Naminé stepped back startlingly, wide-eyed. Then, suddenly, Sora moaned in agony, holding his back like a hunchback.

"Oww! My back still _hurts_!" He cried with pain, then used Naminé for support; putting his arm on her shoulder while rubbing his back with the other hand.

Naminé blushed crimson at his closeness, but Sora was seemingly oblivious to it.

"It's all your carriage's fault…" He complained to her, wincing.

Naminé stayed silent. She didn't have a choice, because for some reason, her body was immobile at the moment. Sora finally let go of Naminé and staggered farther ahead by himself.

"Oh, right!" He said as if he had just remembered something, then turned around again. "I want you to have one more thing!" He walked back to her normally this time. Seemed like his back miraculously healed fast again. "This evil coin, it caused me to be run over by your carriage, but who knows, it might bring YOU good luck!"

Naminé gawked stupidly at the apple in her right hand and the coin in the other.

"So it was true..." She mumbled in awe. "You were run over because of chasing a coin…"

"You thought I was lying?" Sora pouted at her childishly.

"N-No! Um..." She played with her apple shyly. But then, looking up, she noticed that Sora was already gone, marching deeper into the garden.

"W-Wait!" She cried before running after him.

-X-X-X-

_Later, Naminé followed Sora to the lake_

Naminé eventually made it to the lake, even though she had lost Sora midway. Looking around, she scanned the place, searching for the younger prince. She found him napping near the lake's shore.

With a mischievous expression on her face, Naminé treaded quietly to where he was.

"Wake up, lazy prince…" She whispered at him playfully as she stared down at his sleeping face.

Sora jumped awake when he opened his eyes and found a face staring down at him.

"Kairiii! Why do you always…" He began as he was turning back to face the intruder. He stopped when he realized it was Naminé. "Oh, it's… you."

"Kairi…?" Naminé asked suspiciously. "Oh, that's right… She's your friend…"

Pouting, Sora got up to dust himself. Naminé watched him curiously. Then, just like that, he started walking off back to where they came from.

"Where are you going now?" Naminé asked exasperatedly.

"Somewhere elsewhere," he answered her casually without looking back.

"Why? Are you avoiding me?" Naminé asked sadly. "We _are_ getting married aren't we? We should spend more time together; I'll try to make you grow to like me!"

Sora froze on the way, and then turned back to gape at Naminé.

"What?" He asked quietly.

"What?" Naminé retorted, blinking confusedly.

Then, suddenly, he burst off laughing.

"Wh-What… What makes you think it's _me_?" He managed to choke out during his fits of laughter.

Turning redder and redder by the moment from embarrassment, Naminé stuttered nervously, "B-Because… Y-You're… I-I don't know…You said... I thought…"

"I'm sorry, but I'm not the prince for you!" Sora told her when he'd finally calmed down, sensing her embarrassment. "Thank God huh?" He added with a carefree grin.

The truth was that Naminé felt crushed at that moment, despite her effort to hide this fact by forcing out a smile, she knew that it was obvious if one took a look at her expression. And if Sora hadn't realized that then he was either a clueless idiot, or just insensitive to her feelings. She decided it was the first.

"O-Oh…" She mumbled dejectedly, looking down at the ground. "I-I see…"

-X-X-X-

_From the distance_

Marluxia and Ansem were walking side by side around the castle garden when they noticed Sora and Naminé by the lake's shore.

"Oh?" Ansem looked surprised. "She managed to find that little brat? Your princess is quite impressive. She did what hundreds of our servants could not manage to do!"

"That worries me, however," Marluxia began with a worried expression on his face. "The princess seems to be highly fond of Prince Roxas's brother."

Ansem laughed heartily.

"You are worrying too much! It is impossible for your princess to fall in love with that clown!" Ansem stated confidently, shaking his head. "After all, he is not exactly 'prince charming'!"

"Still…" Marluxia trailed off worriedly as he stares at the two talking at the shore.

"And besides, Sora will not be here often. And to assure you, we will give him more freedom than before… He will barely show his face around!"

-X-X-X-

_Castle Garden_

Naminé was stomping back to the castle by herself, angry and humiliated.

"Argh! I'm such an idiot! That was so embarrassing! Why did I have to open my big mouth, _why_? I can't face him again, I can't, I won't—"

Kairi suddenly popped up in front of her, grinning. "Oh hey Naminé!"

"P-Princess Kairi! H-Hello! Wh-What brings you out here?" Naminé replied with a startled look.

"I'm looking for the lazy bum, Sora!" Kairi spitted out angrily, looking around them. "Have you seen him?"

"Um..." Naminé looked down nervously. "I think I saw a glimpse of him by the lake..."

"REALLY?" Kairi exclaimed suddenly, startling Naminé. "Was it him, are you sure? Are you one hundred per cent sure?"

Naminé nodded carefully.

"YOU JUST WAIT TILL I GET THERE SORA!" Kairi smiled evilly, preparing to leave toward the direction of the lake.

"Um...!" Naminé called after her.

"Hm?" Kairi turned around questioningly.

"I-I think he left already!"

"No..." Kairi mumbled dejectedly, a tired look on her face, then she stopped and glanced at Naminé suspiciously. "Hey, what about you? What were _you_ doing?"

"I-I..." Naminé gulped nervously. "I was..."

"A lovely morning to you, Princesses!" Someone exclaimed abruptly, startling them. Turning around, they noticed Ansem and Marluxia walking toward them.

"Hey Ansem!" Kairi replied casually, smiling.

"H-Hello..." Naminé bowed her head a bit.

"Princess," Marluxia looked at Naminé, smiling. "How do you like it here so far?"

"I like it very much," Naminé answered with a forced smile.

"I see. I am glad," Ansem said with a satisfied smile.

"Princess," Marluxia said. "Lord Ansem and I have agreed that the meeting with the Privy Council to discuss your marriage arrangements with the prince shall be held tomorrow. Please be ready, we shall send your personal maid to wake you up."

Naminé nodded understandingly. "Alright. I will be there on time."

"Perfect!" Ansem exclaimed happily. "We shall be seeing you tomorrow then!" They turned around to leave with a satisfied look on their faces.

Kairi rolled her eyes beside Naminé. "I feel so sorry for you! Their meetings are sooo boring… I swear they put me to sleep!"

"Oh, that is right!" Ansem stopped abruptly, and turned around, as if he had just remembered something. Marluxia kept going without him.

"Here he goes again..." Kairi muttered in a bored fashion.

"I suppose you are wondering who your future groom will be..." Ansem stated with a devilish smile.

"I wonder..." Naminé mumbled sarcastically under her breath.

"Well, that's easy! It's Roxas!" Kairi said casually, earning a glare from Ansem.

"Yes, thank you for telling us, Princess Kairi. I was looking forward to telling the good news to the princess myself!"

"Don't mention it!" Kairi replied 'innocently', shrugging.

"Well, Princess!" Ansem turned to Naminé then, a beaming look on his face. "What are your feelings about the matter?"

"Um... Alright... I guess," Naminé replied blankly.

"Happy? Glad? Relieved?"

She blinked at him confusedly. "Why?"

"Why?" Ansem retorted, and then burst out laughing. "Why, indeed!"

Naminé and Kairi glance at each other, mentally rolling their eyes. Kairi mouthed 'nuts' to the blonde.

"There's something that's been on mind lately and I wanted to ask you about..." Naminé said suddenly, irritated with Ansem's constant laughing.

"Hm?" Ansem stopped laughing immediately, looking at her questioningly.

"Why did you tell everyone to keep it from me? What's your reason behind that?"

"The reason is simple!" Ansem replied with a smug smile. "I wanted to see the relieved expression on your face when you discover it is not that clown!"

_Silence._ Naminé just stood there blankly.

"Well, he's right..." Kairi said with a casual shrug. "If Sora were ever to take the throne, this kingdom is going bye bye!"

"Indeed," Ansem nodded, sighing out loud with relief.

"That's mean..." Naminé muttered, frowning. "How would you know? He may even do a better job than you think!"

Ansem and Kairi stared at her quietly for a moment, and then burst out laughing. Naminé frowned deeper as she watched them laugh.

"Princess, I am sorry..." Ansem finally managed to stop laughing. "That was very humorous from your part; I could not help myself..." He laughed a little more, but then attempted to regain his composure when he realized how serious Naminé looked, glaring at him angrily. "Ahem... Well you see, Princess, Sora is by no means capable of this job. For one, he has absolutely no grasp on the concept 'responsibility', and he is a complete idiot and has no clue on political issues whatsoever. Prince Roxas, on the other hand, is trained all his life for this task, so he is most capable and has the true qualities befitting a royalty!"

Naminé bit down at her lower lip and said nothing, deciding to keep it to herself. Prince Sora's business is of no concern to her, after all. He wasn't her fiancé, she reminded herself sadly.

"Do not worry your mind about him, Princess," Ansem said quickly, a worried look on his face.

"Besides, he likes it better this way..." Kairi added, smiling at Naminé friendly before folding her arms, and adding angrily, "_Lazy bum_!"

"That is true!" Ansem nodded quickly. "And moreover, he has Princess Kairi by his side. One day, hopefully, she will whisk him away to her Kingdom... I pray that every day before sleep…" He mumbled the last part to himself.

Kairi blushed bright red. "H-Hey! What makes you think I'd want that lazy bum, huh? H-He doesn't fit my standards!"

Naminé stared down at the ground while holding her fists tightly to her sides, trying to control her agitation. She didn't like the way everyone spoke of the younger prince. While he had his oddities and faults, he was still a good person. And for some reason that seemed irrational and doesn't make any sense to Naminé, Sora had become precious to her. Realizing this, she quickly tried to suppress thoughts of Sora in her head, reminding herself again that he wasn't the prince for her.

"Right, Na~mi~né?" Kairi asked her suddenly, grinning at her playfully.

"H-Huh?"

"Tell him! Tell him how Sora is _nowhere_ near our league! You tell him!" Kairi nudged her to speak.

"Umm..."

"Ahh... What a lovely morning it is today!" Ansem commented randomly all of a sudden. "Princess Naminé, you should take a walk with Prince Roxas! Share a splendid morning together and plan your future side by side!"

"Um... She would if Roxas is actually here!" Kairi replied, rolling her eyes.

"Where is he?" Ansem asked suspiciously. Kairi shrugged. "Do not tell me he is with that librarian and her friends again! That boy is too attached to commoners! They will do him no good! I have told him that a hundred times already, but does he listen? No!" He complained to himself before yelling at the top of his voice, "GUAAARDS!" Naminé and Kairi winced at his volume.

The guards came running over panicky. "Y-Yes sir?"

"FIND PRINCE ROXAS AND BRING HIM TO ME! I DO NOT CARE IF YOU HAVE TO DRAG HIM TO COME; HE HAS TO BE IN MY OFFICE... _NOW_!"

"Yes sir!" They hurried off to find Prince Roxas.

"What about Sora?" Kairi asked Ansem with a pout. "He's been away for too long!"

"I do not care about that brat, he is better off away... Doing whatever it is that he is doing!" Ansem replied distractedly as he marched back to the castle, leaving the two girls alone.

"Poor Prince Roxas..." Naminé muttered sympathetically as they watched Lord Ansem leave. "He has it very hard... Everyone putting pressure on him…" She sighed. "Reminds me of myself."

"Yeah, well..." Kairi sighed deeply before shrugging. "I have to go search for Sora... since nobody else is going to!" She added the last part angrily.

"Wait a minute!" Naminé called after her, gently grabbing onto her arm to stop her. "I've seen Lord Ansem do most of the ruling around here, well, at least since I arrived... But what about the King and the Queen? Where are they?"

"Oh," Kairi looked at the ground nervously. "Well... The King is really sick and his doctor said he's better off staying at the country side for a while..." She explained carefully.

"And the Queen?"

Kairi looked away, frowning uneasily. "Roxas's mother... Lives by herself. Somewhere..."

"Why?" Naminé asked curiously, finding Kairi's behavior suspicious.

"Dunno!" Kairi shrugged quickly. "Hey I gotta go! Sora must be miles away by now!" She hurried off, clearly not willing to explain any further.

_'Weird...'_ Naminé thought to herself, tilting her head to one side questioningly as she watched Kairi scurry off. _'She is hiding something from me...I know it.'_

Stubbornly, she marched after Kairi deeper into the garden. Deeper and deeper until she found herself lost and Kairi was nowhere to be seen.

"Alright... Where am I again? I think I've been to this spot before…" She sighed miserably as she tried to find her way back. "Oh no... I'm lost! What am I going to do? I should have went back to the castle! I should have _stayed_ in the castle! I am such a fool, chasing after—"

"GOTCHA!" She heard someone shout from nearby.

"Oh, thank God there's someone around here!" She sighed with relief, running toward the source of the voice. She pulled away a few bushes to find none other than Sora, sitting by the shore of another side of the lake, fishing by himself.

She blinked at his figure dumbly.

Sora turned around and gawked when he saw her. "Why do you keep following me?" He asked bluntly after a moment of silence and just staring at each other stupidly.

" I-I was lost... A-And couldn't find my way back..." She explained quickly while fidgeting with her dress.

"Oohh!" Sora nodded understandingly. "In that case, wait here!" He patted the space next to him. "I'll take you back with me to the castle when I'm done fishing!"

"A-Alright..." She walked carefully to where he was, and then sat a bit further from him, looking the other way nervously.

Sora eyed her sideways curiously, noticing the distance. "Hey, why are you so far? Come here," He patted the space next to him again, an innocent grin on his face.

She sighed frustratedly in her mind over the fact that Sora was oblivious to his effect on her. She edged only a tad bit closer.

A long and awkward silence followed as Sora was waiting for a bite.

"I-I thought you're the type that gets bored easily..." Naminé attempted to converse.

"Nope! Fishing is not boring! I find it exciting wondering what you're going to catch at the end!" He turned to face her, a giddy look on his face. "Don't you think so too?"

"Mm…" Naminé nodded, smiling shyly back at him. Part of her was wishing that something would happen between them, but she quickly suppressed the idea.

To her secret dismay, Sora turned back to face the lake casually. "Usually, a prince has to take swordsmanship lessons, but I don't like it so I skip!"

"Why?" She asked curiously.

He shrugged casually; his eyes having an ambiguous look in them as they were still fixed on the lake. "Roxas has no choice though; he has to learn everything a prince should."

"Poor Roxas is very pressured..." Naminé frowned a bit. Sora nodded in agreement with a sympathetic look.

_Another awkward silence._

Naminé watched as Sora had this calm and carefree expression on his face as he gazed at the lake patiently. He looked very handsome like that, she noted while smiling softly.

"C-Can I try fishing too?" Naminé broke the silence nervously, starting to blush again. She was trying to distract herself from looking at her fiancé's brother that way.

"No," Sora replied bluntly without looking at her.

"Why?"

"I think the fish will pull you into the water and I will get punished for getting my brother's fiancee in danger!" He replied, glancing at her sideways mischievously.

She pouted at him cutely, showing him that she was offended. He burst out laughing at her face. Unwillingly, Naminé slowly started to break into a smile. She couldn't help it. She was in love with his smile. It was contagious, full of life and charmingly attractive.

In the end, they didn't catch anything; Sora would always return the fish he'd caught.

"Bye fishy!" He told it playfully before throwing it back into the water.

Naminé giggled at his childishness, and then suddenly remembered Kairi looking for him. "Oh! Princess Kairi is looking for you!" She blurted out suddenly.

"K-Kairi?" Sora stuttered nervously, flustered. Naminé felt a tinge of jealousy that Kairi could get that kind of unfamiliar reaction from him.

"Yes..." She answered carefully, trying to read his expression. "Why are you nervous?"

"Th-There's no way she'll find me here! This is a secret side of the lake that nobody else can find!"

Suddenly, the bushes behind them began to rustle.

"N-Noway...!" Sora cringed, panicking.

"Princess!" Ansem cried as soon as he came out of them. "There you are!"

Sora sighed with relief, holding a hand over his heart. "Oh, it's just Ans…"

Ansem glared at Sora hard before turning to Naminé quickly. "Your fiancé is waiting for you!"

"Alright... I'm coming," Naminé replied with a sigh, feeling reluctant to leave.

"What are you doing with the princess?" Ansem scolded Sora angrily.

Sora blinked at him innocently while rubbing one of his spikes. "I was jus—"

"I said I'm coming!" Naminé snapped at Ansem impatiently, surprising the two males. "And he wasn't doing anything wrong!"

"F-Forgive me if I have insulted you, Princess!" Ansem bowed apologetically, and then looked back at Sora, whose entire expression was mocking him.

"Um... Prince Sora?" Naminé turned to face Sora timidly.

Sora raised an eyebrow at her. "Huh? Did you just call me 'Prince' Sora? You can just call me Sora or Lazy bum or whatever! But you don't have to call me Prince!" Sora told her playfully with a grin. "We're friends now, right?"

Namine giggled, blushing at the younger prince shyly.

Ansem stepped in quickly, not liking how much the two were getting along. "Please excuse us then... _Lazy Bum_," Ansem failed to suppress a smirk at the last part. "We have important issues to attend to! Come now Princess! You should stop seeing Prince Sora, he's not your future groom and thank your God he is not!"

Sora coolly folded his arms behind his head and grinned back at the older man playfully. "Why are you so uptight about it Ans? Her and me... will never be! She's my bro's fiancée remember?" He told him casually.

"I-I do remember! It is merely unsafe for her to be anywhere around you! You are a bad influence!" Ansem quickly attempted to drag the princess along with him by taking her hand.

"Hold on a minute! There's something I want to tell him first!" Naminé stopped walking and turned back to face the younger prince.

Sora looked back at her questioningly.

"Um... Promise me you'll take me fishing again!" She blurted out suddenly.

"Huh?" Sora blinked at her, taken aback.

"What?" Ansem cried with disbelief at the same time.

"And you'll let me fish next time!" She hurriedly added.

Sora scratched the back of his head thoughtfully, and then finally, he shrugged. "Sure... if you can find me!" He added the last part with a mischievous grin.

"It's a promise then!" Naminé grinned back.

Ansem grimaced to himself. "I-I cannot believe this!"

Suddenly, the bushes behind them started rustling again...

-X-X-X-


	4. Starting Anew With Prince Right

Chapter 4: _Starting Anew With Prince Right_

The bushes behind them started rustling…

"SORA!" Kairi shouted as soon as she emerged out of them.

Sora chuckled nervously. "H-Hi Kairi!" He waved at her innocently.

"Don't _'Hi Kairi'_ me!" Kairi yelled at him in a scolding manner, putting her hands on her hips. "I was looking _everywhere_ for you!"

"Let us go Princess," Ansem whispered, pushing Naminé shoulders gently to guide her away with him. "He has Princess Kairi with him now."

Naminé looked back at the two through her shoulder as she was leaving with Ansem; they were still bickering like an old couple…

"I was bored okay!"

"You should've waited for me to come with you idiot!"

"Kairi, will it calm you down if I let you fish with me?"

"…Fine. I'm bored anyway!"

From the distance, Naminé continued watching them as she was being guided away by Ansem. A tight and uneasy feeling in her chest.

-o-O-o-

It had been a week since the last time Naminé saw Sora at the lake.

During that time, there were plenty of boring, long meetings with the council to discuss the arrangements for Roxas' and Naminé's engagement party, where they would officially be announced as an engaged couple to the world.

Roxas noticed how bored and aloof Namine looked during those meetings, but couldn't bring himself to say a word about it because of his remote and cold attitude; they barely talked or even saw each other. Roxas was busy with his many princely duties and lessons while Namine was mostly left alone, wandering aimlessly around the castle.

Needless to say, it was an extremely dull few days for the both of them.

Sora, Naminé's only source of comic relief in this kingdom, was still nowhere to be found. And no matter how much she wanted to, she couldn't bring herself to ask about him, knowing full-well that would only bring Sora and herself into trouble…

She kept remembering Sora's words: _"Her and me… will never be!"_ And as much as those words pained her – despite her efforts to deny their effect on her and suppress thoughts of Sora completely – she knew they were the simple truth. If anything were to happen between them… it would be forbidden. A betrayal to Roxas – the true heir – and to his kingdom.

And betrayal definitely wasn't taken lightly in their world…

-o-O-o-

It was another dull day for Naminé in the Twilight Kingdom. Having nothing to do, she agreed to Ansem about escorting Roxas to the arena outdoors to watch him practice his swords-fighting skills.

"Good job Roxas," Squall, his instructor, complimented him proudly after having his sword knocked out of his hands again by the older prince. "You're improving amazingly."

Roxas grinned wearily at the older man, still maintaining his fighting stance just in case Squall tried to catch him off-guard like the many times he had done before.

Squall noted this and smirks. "Good. You've become smarter too. Never let your guard down while facing your enemy! How about you try going against me and Cloud both?" He motioned at Cloud behind him, another extraordinary swordsman that helped the princes with their lessons.

"Bring it!" Roxas exclaimed challengingly.

Meanwhile, Naminé was sitting on one of the faraway benches, absorbed in her drawing.

"Good morning Princess!"

Looking up, Naminé found a tall, busty black-haired woman with hazel eyes staring warmly back at her.

"H-Hello…" Naminé replied breathlessly, mesmerized by the woman's beauty.

"I'm Tifa Lockhart, captain of the women guards!" The black-haired woman introduced herself with a smile before sitting next to Naminé on the bench. "It's an honor to finally speak with you!"

"Oh, the pleasure is all mine," Naminé replied, smiling back.

"So, since you're here, how about I train you? There are martial arts lessons for women too you know!" Tifa suggested eagerly.

"No thanks!" Naminé answered quickly. "I'll just stay here and draw until he's finished," she said, referring to Roxas.

"Okay!" Tifa shrugged cheerfully."But if some day you feel like training, or when your fiancé gives you a hard time, drop by here! I'll be sure to prepare a punching back for you! You know, to vent your anger with!"

Naminé laughs lightly before nodding. "Alright, I'll keep that in mind."

"See you Princess!" Tifa waved goodbye, smiling as she got up and headed back toward Squall, Cloud and Roxas in the middle of the arena.

"Take care!" Naminé waved back. With a smile, the princess turned her attention back to her sketchbook. She started drawing Roxas in his fighting stance exactly the way she saw him in front of her.

Looking down to examine her drawing after it was finished; Naminé blinked at it with surprise, suddenly realizing something. "If I change some of Roxas's physical features…" She mumbled to herself thoughtfully, the pencil between her fingers dancing by itself automatically as it began alerting parts of the drawing.

"Big idiotic grin…" She mumbled some more as she drew it over Roxas's halfhearted smile in the picture, smiling softly to herself. "And the hair…Spikier… Wilder…"

"No, you got that wrong – Roxas's hair is not like that!"

Naminé froze at the sound of the voice coming directly from behind her. Slowly, she turned her head back to find Sora in all his grinning glory, leaning causally on the bench right behind her for God knows how long.

Naminé's heart almost leapt out of her chest at the sight of him. She jolted out of the bench and turned around swiftly to face him, clutching her sketchbook tighter to her chest, as if trying to hide the loud beating of her heart.

"Sora!" She gasped happily, unable to contain the elated feeling inside of her. She kept grinning at him delightedly.

Sora didn't know what was going on, but he grinned back anyway.

_Silence._

"Who are you?" He asked bluntly.

Instant heartbreak for Naminé. The smile slipped off her face and was replaced by a frown.

It had only been a week and he had already forgotten about her. Not that he bothered to remember her name from that time either.

Suddenly, Roxas surprised them by stepping in in-between. "Remember?" He told Sora casually. "She's the princess I have to marry."

Namine's pout deepened. _'They're too nice!' _She thought to herself sarcastically, feeling miserable inside.

"Don't say it like that in front of your future wifey!" Sora scolded his brother playfully. "It might break her heart!" He put his hands on both of her shoulders, sympathizing with her.

_'Believe me; your line hurt me more…' _Naminé thought to herself sadly, her expression is semi-dead.

"Oh yeah, I caught her drawing you in her sketchbook!" Sora exclaimed excitedly all of a sudden.

Naminé froze in her spot.

"H-Huh?" Roxas's eyes went wide in shock, instantly looking away and blushing.

"Show him!" Sora urged Naminé enthusiastically.

"N-No!" Naminé retorted quickly, hugging her sketchbook closer to her chest in a protective manner.

"Awww… Bro's wife is shy!" Sora laughed, grinning from ear to ear as he started pinching Naminé's blushing cheeks playfully.

All of a sudden, Ansem stepped in out of nowhere, glaring sternly at Sora. "WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING TO THE PRINCESS BRAT! LET GO OF HER IMMEDIATLEY!"

Everyone froze and turned around to face the enraged and red-faced Ansem.

"Oops," Sora mumbled under his breath before quickly letting go of Naminé and pulling a startled Roxas to stand between them, and then grinning back innocently at Ansem.

"Were you not supposed to be… _away_ doing whatever it is that you do? What brought you back here?" Ansem questioned in annoyance.

The smile on Sora's face disappeared to be replaced by a blank expression. "I was looking for Roxas," he answered honestly before turning to face his brother. "Can I borrow your fishing rod?"

"Where's yours?" Roxas retorted, raising an eyebrow.

"The fish stole it," Sora replied calmly.

_Silence_. Roxas and Ansem gave him an odd look while Naminé giggled to herself quietly.

"Sora…" Roxas groaned tiredly, closing his eyes while folding his arms in front of him patiently. "Tell the truth."

"No, really – the fish took it!" Sora began explaining in all seriousness. "I was fishing by myself at the lake like usual…when all of a sudden, _I felt a bite_!" He demonstrated in front of them his every move. "And it was a HUGE one! I kept pulling and pulling but it just wouldn't give in! AND THEN…!" He shouted suddenly, staring into his audience's eyes for some dramatic effect.

"Foolish. We are wasting our time by listening to him…" Ansem grumbled.

"…IT PULLED ME INTO THE WATER!" Sora finished excitedly.

Naminé couldn't contain herself anymore and burst out laughing. Ansem and Roxas eyed her oddly, wondering what she found funny about the ridiculous daily life of 'Prince' Sora.

"Look, even the princess is laughing at you!" Ansem yelled at the younger prince angrily.

"AND THAT'S WHEN IT STOLE MY FISHING ROD FROM ME!" Sora concluded his story, unaware of his audience's reactions.

Roxas sighed deeply before telling him, "I don't have a fishing rod."

Sora's shoulders slumped disappointedly before complaining, "You could've told me that sooner!" He turned around dejectedly to leave.

Naminé instinctively took a step forward, wanting him to stay but unable to voice that out with Ansem and Roxas around.

"Sora!" Roxas called back his brother, startling Naminé beside him.

"Huh?" Sora turned around with a questioning look on his face.

"Swordfight?"

"Nope," Sora replied bluntly before turning around again to leave.

"I'll give you my fishing rod."

"I THOUGHT YOU SAID YOU DIDN'T HAVE ONE!" Sora yelled, turning back swiftly to glare at his brother.

Roxas shrugged innocently.

Sora sighed helplessly. "Okay, fine, but if I win – it's mine forever!"

"Yeah, whatever," Roxas shrugged again before walking along with Sora towards the center of the battle arena.

"Let us sit here and observe Princess," Ansem told Namine softly, motioning at the benches behind them.

Cloud handed Roxas his sword while Squall threw his to Sora.

"This is going to be entertaining!" Ansem told Naminé in an unusual giddy manner coming from him. "Please watch princess! Roxas is greatly skilled with the sword, I am sure you will be very impressed!"

"Um-hmm…" Naminé distractedly replied while watching Sora intently, curious to see his performance, and secretly wishing from the bottom of her heart that he'd win.

Roxas swung around his sword as a warm-up, focusing on Sora carefully with the corner of his eye while waiting for Tifa to signal for the match to begin.

His brother, on the other hand, was holding his sword in his hands and gazing down at it with an expression that seemed alien on him. Deep thoughtfulness. Naminé watched him intently, wondering what he was thinking so deeply about that made his expression seem almost grim.

"What is that fool doing spacing out just before the match?" Ansem sighed, shaking his head.

Suddenly, Tifa made her signal. The match officially began. And it didn't even need to begin, for as soon as it did, it ended. With one clever blow from Sora that attacked in almost heartbeat speed, it knocked Roxas's sword off his hands.

Everyone's jaw dropped in astonishment, even Roxas himself, and especially Ansem, who looked completely petrified.

Naminé broke the shock-filled silence by clapping enthusiastically, unable to contain her excitement. Ansem eyed her sideways skeptically.

"Th-That was a very good match!" Naminé explained hurriedly. "I-I never thought that sword fights would be so much fun!"

Ansem stared at her skeptically for a while more before turning back to look at the brothers.

"A-Amazing! You totally caught me off-guard! I'm blown away!" Tifa gasped, smiling at the brunette with newfound respect. "How did you get from there to there? A-And you totally looked spacing out before… I-It was like you teleported or something!" She giggled.

"That was… incredible," Squall remarked quietly.

"Wow," was all Cloud could say, blinking in awe at Sora.

"That was boring…" Sora mumbled quietly, a tedious look on his face as he handed Squall's sword back to him. "BUT YES! YOUR FISHING ROD IS _MINE_!" He exclaimed happily all of a sudden, punching the air.

Roxas watched him with an annoyed expression. "It's humiliating when you lose at something you work yourself to the bone at every day to a person who didn't even touch it for years…" He muttered to himself frustratedly as he was preparing to leave.

"Well, if it makes you feel any better… I'm not very good at Math!" Sora replied innocently.

"Yeah right,"" Roxas rolled his eyes before walking out of the arena sulkily.

"I wonder why won't he continue at it when he's so good?" Naminé wondered out loud – referring to Sora – while watching the brothers from the distance.

Ansem watched along with Naminé, a thoughtful expression on his face when he mumbled quietly, "It must be because of that day… Yes, I remember now… He did not practice it since that time…"

_Flashback_

_Seven years old Roxas and Sora_

"Alright, hold the sword like this son," the brothers' father, King Rufus of the Twilight Kingdom, instructed a younger Roxas while guiding his smaller hands to hold the sword properly.

"I don't want to do this anymore!" Little Roxas shouted, snatching off his hands aggressively then folding them in front of him and pouting. "It's boring!"

The King sighed tiredly. "Roxas, what did we say about this before? If you do not cooperate and listen to your tutors, you will not be allowed to visit your mother this weekend. Understand?"

"This is not fair!" Roxas complained as his father tried with him again with the sword.

Little Sora came running and started pulling at his father's sleeves excitedly. "Dad! Dad! Look!"

"Roxas! Be more serious!" The King scolded his older son. "You won't leave the arena until you learn to cooperate and listen to your elders!"

"Dad! Dad! Look! I can do this super cool move! Look! I call it… _THE ANNIHILATOR_!" Sora demonstrated, swinging his sword around.

The King let go of Roxas and then held his forehead while sighing impatiently.

Sora stopped, blinking at his father in worried manner before asking innocently, "What's wrong Dad? Do you have a headache?"

"Yes!" His father yelled at him abruptly, startling him. "_You _are the headache!"

Sora pouted down at his feet sadly, lowering his sword to the ground.

The King turned to the guards quickly. "Can someone take him somewhere else? He is disturbing Roxas's lessons!"

Sora was escorted away with two guards. He bowed his head down low to hide his tears as he treaded off past a younger version of Ansem out of the arena.

_End of Flashback_

"Yes, if my memory serves me correctly, he has not practiced since that time…" Ansem finished calmly.

Naminé was frowning sadly the entire time. "That's sad…" She replied quietly while staring down at her lap. "King Rufus sounds like a cruel father…"

Ansem stared at her seriously before attempting to explain in a calm manner, "Princess, he was merely following his responsibility as the King. It is natural that he—"

Naminé eyed him with disbelief. "You are saying that you condone the King's actions toward his own sons?"

"No, I am merely saying that—"

Naminé jolted up abruptly when she noticed that Sora was nowhere to be seen at the arena. "Where is Sora?" She asked instinctively, looking around them.

Ansem frowned grimly. "Princess… it is for the best that you stay away from Prince Sora and get him out of your mind. He is not – and will never be – your future husband. You should do well to remember that..." He said sternly before getting up and walking off in the direction of the castle, leaving no room for further discussion.

Naminé watched him go in annoyance. "I wonder how the princes put up with him…" She mumbled to herself quietly. With a sigh, she started walking after Ansem toward the castle building.

-o-O-o-

Inside her room, Naminé tried out many different dresses and gowns for the engagement party tomorrow night with the help of her personal maid, Selphie.

"How about this one?" Selphie said excitedly, holding up a beautiful white gown against her chest.

Namine shook her head before saying, "No, it looks like a _wedding_ gown…" She shuddered a bit with horror.

"Alright, I'll look for another one…" Selphie said before digging through the pile of gowns lying on the bed.

Namine sitsats on the other side of her bed, sighing heavily all of a sudden. _'He appeared for just a little while after __**days **__of disappearing! I didn't even get a chance to talk to him…' _She thought to herself sadly.

"Who are you thinking about?"

Naminé looked back and found Selphie smiling mischievously at her from across the room.

"N-No one!"

Selphie raised a suggestive eyebrow. "You're thinking about Prince Sora again aren't you?"

Naminé let out a loud sigh, giving up. "Where does he _go_?" Naminé exclaimed irritatedly, slapping the cover of her bed. "He _promised_ to take me fishing with him!"

Selphie laughed amusedly. "HAH! You _SO_ like him!"

Naminé continued on however, ignoring her, "How close is he with Kairi? Is he really an idiot or he just acts it? Why is he—"

"Princess!" Selphie shouted suddenly to stop her, realizing how serious the princess's crush was.

Naminé halted, staring at the brunette questioningly.

Selphie inhaled deeply before saying, "Look, Princess, I love you and I support you all the way but… No matter how you look at it; _Prince Roxas is your fiancé_. Prince Sora is not. Maybe it _is_ for the best that he stays away from you. Because if you continue with this, you'll only end up getting yourself hurt!"

"It's hard to force yourself to love someone, no matter how good they are…And Prince Roxas is not my husband yet," she mumbled the last part quietly to herself, pouting.

"But he will!" Selphie reminded her before holding up another white gown against her chest. "How about this one? I think it's perfect!"

Naminé shrugged in response, feeling depressed again.

Selphie beamed, taking it as a yes. "Great! You'll look SO pretty in it, trust me!"

Namine let out another depressed sigh.

"Remember Naminé, it's all for your parents' sake…" She told herself quietly, trying to cheer up. "All to make them happy…"

Turning her head around, she spotted her sketchbook lying neatly beside her on the bed. She reached out for it and opened the page she had drawn recently at the arena. She traced the outlines of the picture with a sigh.

_'Sora…'_

Selphie watched her keenly from the distance. "You know, they say people who are in love sigh a lot!" She said with a suggestive grin.

Namine blushed when she heard that, playing with her hair shyly.

"I'm going to take this gown with me to get it cleaned okay?" Selphie told her, leaving. "Happy daydreaming!" She added, winking playfully at the blonde before closing the door behind her.

-o-O-o-

That night, Roxas, Axel and Demyx were sitting around a table on one of the castle balconies. Axel and Demyx picked this specific location because it gave them clear view of Tifa's room in the opposite building. They were watching he black-head train her fists with her boxing bag in awe.

"She is so friggin' _hot_," Axel remarked, smirking.

"Yeeaah!" Demyx agreed, almost drooling. "She has really nice boobs…"

Roxas sighed, shaking his head. He was the only one not watching Tifa. "You guys are an embarrassment. I would have spent time with Hayner, Olette and Pence instead if that bastard Ansem wasn't so against it."

"Rox, you should chill out after a hard day of work man. Enjoy yourself. The show's free," Axel's naughty smirk stretched.

"It's wrong," Roxas deadpanned.

"Tell me, if it were Princess Naminé, would you still act like a fucking saint?"

Roxas blushed instantly, flustered. "I-It's still wrong!"

Axel smirked at his behavior. "I think I got my answer."

"Shut up," Roxas glared at the red-head. "I'm not a pervert like you!"

"I aint a pervert. I'm just open with my natural male instincts, unlike someone," he retorted cleverly.

"Oh! That's right! I heard you lost to your brother, of all people, earlier," Demyx mentioned suddenly, remembering overhearing some guards gossiping about it.

Roxas pouted, blushing and looking away in shame.

"No way man. First it's Sora's horse, and now this…" Axel shook his head. "Get it together and show some moves before she starts falling for your stupid brother instead!"

"…"

"Get over your shyness man, it's not cool," Axel added, making Demyx snicker.

Roxas swiftly turned to glare at the red-head. "I'M NOT SHY!"

Right then, Naminé came out on the balcony to join them. She was guided here by the guards to spend some time with Roxas, under Ansem's orders. Roxas immediately blushed again while quickly looking away in embarrassment. Axel and Demyx snickered at him before looking back at Naminé walking toward them.

"Hey Princess, we saved a spot for you…" Axel exclaimed slyly, bringing a chair between him and Roxas. _Especially _closer to Roxas's.

Naminé sat there calmly while looking around at their faces, confused over what was the snickering about, and why was Roxas facing away from her.

"So. Your engagement party's tomorrow eh?" Axel remarked, smirking slyly.

Naminé nodded. "Yes. You're going to attend it right?"

"Of course!" Demyx grinned. "Roxas is our best friend, we'll definitely be there!"

Naminé smiled politely. "I'm glad." Suddenly, she remembered Kairi's vague answer when she asked about the princes's mom the day before, and turned to Roxas curiously. "I understand that your father is sick and his condition is dire. But what about your mother, Her Majesty? She will attend our engagement party tomorrow... won't she?"

"…" Roxas didn't reply. Instead, he gazed downward at the floor gloomily.

"She probably won't," she heard Axel reply instead. She turned to find a grim expression on his and Demyx's faces as he continued, "I don't know the details. Roxy here won't tell. It's a family secret I guess," he shrugged. "But all I know is that she and King Rufus got in a big argument when Roxas and his bro were kids, something happened that made her decide to leave the castle and live somewhere by herself. She sometimes came to visit, but that was very rare."

"That is sad…" Naminé mumbled while gazing sympathetically at Roxas, whose face was still turned away. "You must have missed her terribly…"

"…"

"Did you invite Her Majesty for the party?"

_Silence._

"It doesn't matter," Roxas finally muttered a gruff reply. "She won't come."

"You have tried before?" She frowned at him sadly.

"Oh yeah," Axel answered for him, sighing. "Many times. He sent her letters and everything, but she never responded."

Naminé's frown deepened. She began to wonder if he could be the little boy in her dream, the one looking for his mother. _'He's probably the kid suffering in my dream… I want to end his suffering…'_

Caringly, she put a hand on Roxas's on the table. Roxas tensed, turning swiftly to stare at Naminé's hand on his in shock, blushing.

Axel whistled silently, smirking, while Demyx grinned beside him.

"Keep trying. Never give up. Maybe she will come… it's her son's engagement party after all," she smiled at Roxas reassuringly.

Abruptly, Roxas pulled away his hand and stood up. "It's useless!"

Naminé gazed at him quietly as he marched back inside, feeling sorry for him.

Axel sighed. "Guess it's time for us to leave too," he stood up along with Demyx. "See ya princess!" They waved back at her.

"Good luck with Rox!" Demyx added with a wink.

"Take care," Naminé muttered dejectedly. Once she was alone, she gazed up at the sky and once again, a certain brown-haired prince came back into her thoughts. _'I wonder if that's what Sora feels too. They must really miss their mom… I want to help them!'_

-o-O-o-

_Next day_

It was early morning in the Twilight Kingdom. Naminé had just finished eating breakfast in the dining hall. After that, she stood by the window, gazing outside nostalgically. _'I wish he is here…'_

"Princess?" Selphie called Naminé from behind her.

Naminé turned back quickly, startled. "Y-Yes?"

"I made sure the invitation for your engagement party is sent out like you asked."

"Thank you Selphie," Naminé smiled at her personal maid. "To the Princes' Mother right?"

"Yeah… To the Queen, like you said," the brunette assured her. "Buuut… she probably won't come anyway!"

"Why?" Naminé frowned.

Selphie shrugged unknowingly. "There are secrets Lord Ansem and the royal family make sure to hide from everyone, even the servants. It's something only the family itself and Prince Roxas's closest friends: Hayner, Pence and Olette know. I bet he told them... he trusts them enough to keep quiet about it. They're really tight."

"I… see…"

"But don't worry! Soon you'll become part of the family, and he will have to tell you too!"

"Thank you," Naminé said again before turning back her attention to the window.

"Later Princess!" Selphie saluted cheerfully before leaving the dining hall to get back to her work.

Turning back to the window, Naminé sighed again heavily. Her eyes then widened in shock when she spotted none other than Prince Sora crouching down next to a wild dog by the bushes in front of her.

_'Sora!' _Her heart screamed gleefully.

"Here…" Sora told the dog friendly, throwing a chunk of meat under his nose. "I stole this from Maleficent's kitchen!" The hungry dog barked at Sora gratefully before devouring the food he gave him.

Naminé watched this and smiled softly to herself.

"Eat quickly before Ans finds you! He _hates_ animals!" Sora said before grinning playfully at the dog. "Whoa! You eat almost as fast as me!" He chuckled amusedly.

Naminé opened the window wide, startling the younger prince, who looked behind his shoulders quickly.

Sora sighed with relief when he discovered it was just her.

"Oh, it's…" He paused, seemingly didn't remember her name. "Bro's wife!" He concluded with a grin.

Naminé decided to overlook this, and grinned back. "G-Good morning!"

"Morning!" Sora replied cheerfully before casually giving her his back and turning back to the dog.

Naminé blinked slowly, surprised and a little offended. But determined and a little bit stubborn, she attempted to get out through the window to join him. Sora sensed the noise behind him and turned around; his eyes went wide when he noticed the blonde trying to climb down the window.

He stood up abruptly. "Hey! Watch out!"

Suddenly, as she was trying to get down from the window, Naminé tripped and fell backwards. Luckily for her, Sora rushed forward and broke the fall just in time, allowing her to land with her back against his chest. Lifting her head up slowly, Naminé's eyes widened in shock at Sora's extremely close face staring down at her blankly, their noses were nearly touching.

Her entire face exploded into a blush in no time.

"Why did you do that?" He asked her in a scolding manner, worried.

Naminé moved away from him quickly, dusting and fixing her hair nervously.

Sora broke into an amused grin, startling the blonde. "But _wow_! I thought the only princess who'd do this kind of 'unprincessly' thing is Kairi!"

_'Kairi…' _Naminé thought to herself sourly, jealous.

Suddenly, the wild dog Sora was feeding earlier came running and starting circling Naminé excitedly.

Sora chuckled. "He likes you!"

Naminé giggled happily, crouching down beside the dog and examining him with awe.

"What's wrong?" Sora asked curiously. "Haven't seen a dog before?"

"Not this close…" Naminé told him honestly, still admiring the dog.

"You're like my brother," Sora frowned sympathetically at the ground. "I feel sorry for you…" He muttered quietly to himself.

Naminé avoided eye-contact nervously by looking at the dog when Sora kneeled down beside her abruptly.

"Why don't you pet him?" Sora offered, grinning.

"H-Huh?" Naminé turned to stare at him panicky, wide-eyed.

"Come on, it's okay! He'll love that!"

Hesitantly, she reached out her hand to pet the wild dog in front of them, but cowered midway and quickly retreated back her hand.

"Don't worry! He won't bite!" Sora reassured her quickly, the laughter in his voice evident.

Naminé tried again and failed. But then, suddenly, as Naminé was retreating back her hand, Sora stopped her by taking her hand in his.

Naminé stared wide-eyed at him, alert and blushing like mad.

"He won't bite!" He told her again, smiling reassuringly. "Trust me!"

Naminé nodded shyly before whispering, "I-I trust you…"

Carefully, Sora guided her hands to the dog's head to pet him.

"See? He's friendly!" Sora smiled again.

Naminé was more preoccupied with the hand holding hers, smiling happily to herself. _'His hand is very gentle…'_

"Eh, bro's wife?" Sora asked suddenly.

She snapped out of her thoughts immediately, turning her head to look at him. "Y-Yes?"

"What's your name? You never told me," he asked nonchalantly while looking at the dog.

Naminé pouted to herself. _'Haven't told you, or you never bothered to listen?'_

"I have to know…Since you're going to be my sis-in-law and everything!" He said, laughing playfully at the dog that started barking mirthfully at Naminé's touch.

Naminé stared at the dog dejectedly. _'Why must he bring this up and ruin the mood?'_

"It's _Naminé_!" She spat out a bit moodily.

Suddenly, Sora took off his hand from hers and stood up. Naminé blinked confusedly up at him, hurt and immediately regretting snapping at him, knowing it was not his fault they weren't meant to be.

"I better take you away with me buddy," he told the dog hurriedly, ignoring Naminé's stare. "Before Ansem finds you and throws a fit!" He walked off with the dog, leaving a bewildered and hurt Naminé behind, still crouched down on the ground.

Sora stopped all of a sudden, his back to her. "See ya… bro's wife!" He said quickly while grinning back through his shoulder before jogging off with the dog by his side.

The princess huffed to herself when they were out of sight, irritated. And then, she turned around and marched back to the castle through the garden routes.

And that was the last time Naminé saw Sora before her engagement party that night…

-o-O-o-

It was finally the night of the engagement party.

"Princess?" Selphie peeked into the Princess' room. "Have you finished dressing? Prince Roxas is waiting for you!"

"Yes, I'm done." Naminé replied as she was staring blankly at her reflection on the long mirror.

Selphie's eyes almost bulged out of their sockets at the sight of the princess. "OH MY GOD! YOU LOOK SO BEAUTIFUL!"

Namine blushed a bit, forcing herself to smile at the brunette in spite of her depressed mood. "Thank you."

"Prince Sora will _have_ to notice you now!" Selphie said, winking playfully at the blonde.

At that, Naminé smiled genuinely this time. A small, shy smile.

"Too bad he never attends royal parties! He despises them!"

Naminé's smile disappeared. Then, suddenly, someone knocked on the door and entered.

"Princess, Prince Roxas is waiting for you outside," Ansem announced formally. "Shall we go?" He offered her his arm.

Naminé nodded before wrapping her arms around his and walking out.

"Have fun Princess!" Selphie waved at her cheerfully until she was out.

-o-O-o-

Roxas was waiting for her at the top of the grand stairs leading down to the ball room, where the party was being held.

His eyes went wide at the sight of her; she looked breathtakingly beautiful and radiant.

"U-Uhm…" He gulped nervously, speechless.

Naminé, being used to his distant and quiet treatment, wrapped her arm around his quickly, willing to get this over with. "Let's go," she tells him sternly before walking down the grand stairs.

The people downstairs scattered across the hall, mostly consisting of gentlemen, princes and princesses from all around the globe clapped loudly after the guard announced their entrance.

As she was descending the stairs, Naminé scanned the faces of the audience, searching desperately for a certain spiky-haired prince. She frowned to herself sadly when she failed to find him.

"Princess! You look absolutely stunning tonight!" Ansem – who was waiting for them by the stairs the entire time – smiled happily at the couple after they stepped down the last stair.

"Thank you," Namine replied politely, forcing herself to smile.

"Look, Prince Roxas cannot get his eyes off you!" Ansem pointed at Roxas, winking at her suggestively.

"Shut up!" Roxas glared at him, blushing from embarrassment.

Naminé giggled lightly, managing to maintain her smile the entire time.

-o-O-o-

The party went on smoothly. Ansem kept dragging Roxas and Naminé around with him, introducing them to the guests. Occasionally, Namine looked around them, hoping to see Sora randomly popping up out of nowhere, like usual. But he never did.

She stared at the ground sadly while Ansem and Roxas were engaged into a boring conversation with one of the guests that she didn't even bother to follow through.

_'I miss you… I miss you so much, I want to see you now…'_

"Naminéee!"

Looking up, Naminé noticed Kairi waving at her to come, smiling brightly. She walked toward her direction, smiling back friendly.

"Oh, hello Kairi," She greeted the red-head courteously before blinking curiously at the mysterious silver-haired man standing coolly behind Kairi.

"That's Riku!" Kairi told her cheerfully, motioning at him with her hand. "Our third friend, remember?"

Riku studied Naminé silently, a blank expression on his face.

"I remember," Naminé smiled politely at Riku. "Nice to meet you."

Riku merely nodded at her in response.

Kairi smiled at the blonde princess apologetically. "He's like that with everyone!"

Namine smiled forcefully. "A-Ah… I see."

"I heard your carriage ran over Sora on your way here," Riku said suddenly.

Namine panicked a bit, something inside of her reacting at the mere mention of Sora. "U-Um… Th-That was an accident!"

Riku smirked, causing Naminé to feel nervous.

"I know. Why are you nervous?" Riku narrowed his eyes at her suspiciously.

Namine's eyes shifted around nervously, unable to keep eye-contact with him, fearing that if she did, he'd see right through her somehow.

"Oh, quit it Riku!" Kairi smacked his arm playfully. "You and your mind games! Even an innocent person would panic!" She giggled.

Naminé giggled along nervously with her when suddenly, a loud crash was heard. Everyone turned their head to the source of the noise. Naminé blinked repeatedly, wondering what had gotten everyone's attention. Slowly, she turned her head around along with the rest.

A bit far ahead, at the center of the hall, a waiter was preoccupied with a certain troublesome spiky-headed prince that'd caused him to drop his tray of wine glass.

As if hearing Naminé's heart calling out for him, Sora finally decided to make an appearance.

Kairi rolled her eyes, sighing. _'Leave it to Sora to make a grand entrance…' _She thought to herself while standing beside Naminé, who broke into a wide, beaming smile at the sight of the younger prince. Instinctively, she took a step forward toward Sora's direction.

Riku merely shook his head, suppressing a smile.

"That idiot!" Ansem hissed quietly, popping up between them out of nowhere all of a sudden. "What does he think he is doing here? It is not like him to attend a formal party!"

Naminé perked up at Ansem's last statement, thinking of the many possibilities of why Sora would be here. Most of them are hopeful wishes of a desperate girl in love, that he came here for her, to see her.

"He's probably here for the food," Riku guessed out loud indifferently.

Naminé smiled weakly. _'That's probably the true reason…'_

"I better get him out of here before he causes any more inconvenience!" Ansem said before leaving hurriedly toward Sora's direction.

"Hey Riku! Let's go say hi to Roxas!" Kairi dragged Riku with her by his arm, leaving Naminé all alone.

-o-O-o-

Meanwhile, Ansem marched toward Sora's direction furiously. The waiter was trying panicky to clean the floor that got stained with the wine.

"What happened?" Ansem yelled at the waiter angrily.

"H-He, Th-The Prince… He bumped into me while running and I—" The waiter didn't have continue, for Ansem was already understanding the situation. He glared at Sora dangerously. "And what in the world are you doing here? I thought I told you to _stay away_… especially at such occasions!"

"Relax Ans!" Sora grinned at Ansem in a carefree manner while waving a dismissive hand in front of him. "I'm just here for the food! Then I'll go, promise!"

The people around them began murmuring in the background while occasionally glancing at Sora:

"Who is that? I have never seen him before!"

"Wow! He looks a lot like Prince Roxas!"

"Is he a prince? He is very good looking!"

Naminé blinked around confusedly at the comments she was hearing around her concerning Sora. Suddenly, something caught her attention. _'Wait… Nobody knows him? How can this be possible?'_ She thought to herself skeptically.

"No! You will not stay here one minute!" Ansem yelled suddenly.

"Pleeease!" Sora made a puppy-face, rubbing his stomach in front of Ansem in an attempt to look pitiful. "I'm hungry…"

Ansem sighed, rolling his eyes. "Oh, fine. As soon as you stuff yourself, you will leave without causing anymore trouble!"

Sora beamed, patting Ansem's back a bit too roughly. "Thanks Ans! You're awesome!" He rushed past him toward the buffet table in lightning speed.

Naminé watched his every move from the distance, trying to find a chance to go and talk to him. But with everyone around, she knew that wouldn't be possible.

"H-Her Majesty, Queen Elena!" The guard suddenly announced to the crowd, catching their ultimate attention. Everyone looked up with surprise to see the Queen.

Selphie sneaked in through the crowd of people with her tray in one hand to whisper at Naminé excitedly, "She came! The Queen came! Your plan worked!"

Naminé grinned back just as excitedly.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, Ansem came and took Naminé's hand. He guided her with him hurriedly to meet the Queen.

"Y-Your Majesty! I-I cannot believe you came! Thank you for gracing us with your presence! It has been a very long time since you came here!" Ansem said almost breathlessly, too excited.

Queen Elena smiled at him politely before turning her attention to Naminé and smiling wider. "My daughter-in-law?" She asked eagerly.

Naminé nodded reluctantly, bowing her in front of the Queen timidly.

"M-Mom?"

The three of them looked past Naminé to find Roxas, staring wide-eyed in shock at the Queen, his mother.

The Queen smiled warmly at him, tears filling up her eyes. "My son! Look at you! You've grown so much!" She rushed forward and pulled him into a warm hug.

"Wow... It's really you, Mom… I-I'm so happy you came!" Roxas gasped, unable to express his raging emotions. "I-I missed you so much…"

"Of course I'll come to my son's engagement party!" She hugged him tighter against her chest. "Oh, Roxas! I missed you so much as well!"

Naminé and Ansem watched them in the background, smiling warmly at the mother-and-son reunion scene.

"Um… Why is the Princes' Mother living away by herself in the first place?" Naminé asked Ansem curiously.

"It is a long story; there is no need to trouble your mind with it tonight! Go and enjoy it together with your fiancé!" Ansem told her with a smile.

Naminé sighed frustratedly. "Alright. But can I ask about the King, was he unable to make it?" She asked softly.

"Unfortunately, the King is not able to come. He is too sick," Ansem explained sadly. "But he sent you and Prince Roxas a letter to give you his blessings."

Suddenly, Roxas and his mother joined them, grinning.

Naminé smiled back warmly at the sight of Roxas's smile. _'I'm glad __**he's **__smiling for once…'_

Roxas caught her smiling at him and blushed a little.

"Thank you, Naminé," The Queen said gratefully.

"For what?" Roxas asked curiously, blinking at his mother confusedly.

"She was the one who convinced me to come," the Queen told her son before turning back to Naminé, smiling gently. "You were the one sent that invitation card, isn't that right?"

Namine nodded shyly. "Yes, I wanted to meet the princes' mother very badly. And when I heard that Your Majesty will probably not come, I decided to send you an invitation myself."

"Thank you," the Queen said again.

Namine shook her head quickly. "No, thank _you_ for coming! I'm very glad to finally meet you!"

"Likewise, my dear," the Queen replied warmly.

All the while, Roxas was staring intently at Naminé, who suddenly remembered Sora and excused herself hastily by saying, "Um… Please excuse me! I'll be right back!"

The three blinked at her curiously as she left them in a hurry.

-o-O-o-

Naminé searched around her as she was walking through the crowd, smiling and nodding apologetically at a few people who tried pulling her with them into a conversation. Eventually, she spotted Sora at the far end of the food table.

"S-Sora…"

Sora turned his head back to face her dumbly with a shrimp's tail sticking out of his mouth. "Hm?"

"Y-Your mother is here… D-Don't you wish to see her?" She asked nervously while playing with her fingers.

"My mother?" Sora questioned confusedly after gulping down his food. He looked past Naminé to find Roxas with Elena standing further ahead of them. "Oh…" He uttered eventually, a blank expression on his face.

Naminé continued watching him expectantly.

Casually, Sora turned back to the food. "She looks busy, I'll see her later!" He told her distractedly. "Plus Roxas haven't seen her for a while…"

Naminé blinked at him confusedly, feeling disappointed at his reaction. "What?"

"I better go, I promised Ans!" Sora replied hurriedly before stuffing his mouth with a piece of bread and rushing off like usual.

"Umm…!" Naminé called out after him, but he had already disappeared into the crowd.

"Naminé?"

She turned back curiously to the source of the voice to find Prince Roxas, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly.

"Roxas? Wh-What's the matter?"

"C-Can I have a word with you on the balcony?" He asked nervously.

"Su-Sure…"

-o-O-o-

Once they were out alone on the balcony, Roxas walked ahead slowly by himself, staring up at the starry sky with a hard-to-read expression on his face.

Naminé carefully trailed after the older prince, staring at his back nervously and worrying over what he would want to talk about.

Abruptly, he stopped. Naminé stopped as well, waiting for him to speak.

_Silence._

"W-W-Well…" She stuttered out nervously, breaking the silence. "What did you—"

Without warning, Roxas turned around swiftly and pulled her into his arms.

"Thank you!" He whispered in her ear softly.

Namine tensed against his chest before asking in a muffled voice, "F-For what?"

"For convincing my mom to come."

"Y-You're welcome…" She replied with a polite smile as he pulled back. Then she noted the mad blush on his cheeks and giggled to herself.

Roxas scratched the back of his head nervously, staring at the floor.

_Awkward silence._

"U-Um… How about we start anew?" He asked suddenly.

"Hmm?" She blinked at him curiously.

"We… We kind of had the wrong start…"

_'Kind of?' _Naminé giggled in her head. _'I'm happy that I was finally able to get through to him… now being engaged to him… won't be that bad…'_

"I'm Roxas," the older prince stuck out his hand, smiling at her sheepishly.

She blinked down at his hand with surprise for a while, and then smiled and stuck out her hand as well and shook his.

"I'm Naminé," she told him before adding tiredly, "Please remember my name!"

-o-O-o-


	5. The Mystery That Is Prince Sora

Chapter 5: _The Mystery That Is Prince Sora_

Two weeks had passed since Roxas' and Naminé's engagement party.

Roxas had become friendlier and more open toward Naminé, often taking her to walks with him around the castle garden to talk when he was not busy, which was rarely.

Sora, on the other hand, hadn't shown his face around since the engagement party. But this time, Naminé attempted to ignore that and completely block him out of her mind, trying her hardest to focus only on her future and Roxas.

The Queen had decided to stay for a while longer in the castle for her son's sake; she even spent quite some time with Naminé, often speaking to her about the Queen's duties – since she was someday going to be one – the importance of producing and nurturing an heir, and all these embarrassing things mother-in-laws usually discussed with their daughter-in-laws.

Everything was going on as expected, as much as it bored Naminé.

Until one day before the Princes' Birthday Party…

-o-O-o-

It was a bright morning in the Twilight Kingdom.

Roxas and Naminé were out taking a walk together around the castle garden.

"Your mother seems to plan to stay forever, I'm glad," Naminé smiled.

"Yeah… I'm really glad too," he replied, smiling.

"You've become a lot happier and less difficult with Her Majesty around…" She remarked, noting his smile.

"I was difficult?" He chuckled, scratching the back of his sheepishly.

She nodded, smiling. "You were. Even though we were engaged to be married, you were rude and didn't bother to show me around when I first got here. Then you kept ignoring me and acting distant…"

Roxas sighed. "Sorry."

She smiled smugly. "You're forgiven!"

Roxas shook his head, suppressing the urge to grin.

Suddenly, Ansem – walking side-by-side with Marluxia – appeared and beamed happily when he and the pink-head bumped into the younger couple in the garden.

"What a lovely morning it is! Seeing you two happy and together! My goodness, you look absolutely radiant! You look even more radiant than the morning sun!" Ansem exclaimed exaggeratedly.

Roxas and Naminé glanced at each other sideways and rolled their eyes, used to Ansem's drama.

"Now go along and enjoy the rest of your time together!" Ansem shooed them, smiling brightly. "How about you hold hands?" He suggested eagerly.

Roxas cringed, blushing madly. "H-Huh?"

Namine merely put a hand over her mouth to hide a smile.

"Why very shy? You are going to be husband and wife some day!" Ansem smiled suggestively.

"L-Leave us alone!" Roxas snapped before walking past them, dragging a giggling Naminé with him by her hand.

"Good," Marluxia said suddenly once the pair is out of ear-shot, smiling with satisfaction. "The princess appears to be forgetting about _him_…" Then he turned his head to eye Ansem curiously. "Where is that boy anyway? He disappeared for days. His presence is… pretty easy to miss."

"Oh, Sora… I had a talk with him a few days ago…" Ansem began explaining casually.

_Flashback_

Deep inside the castle garden, Sora was hanging on one of the branches of an apple tree, looking for some ripe apples.

"Stop acting like a monkey brat and get down here for a second!" Ansem yelled up at him scoldingly from the ground. "I need to have a word with you!"

'Accidentally', Sora dropped an apple over the top of Ansem's head.

"OW!"

Sora grinned before mumbling quietly, "Oops."

"You despicable brat! You did that on purpose!" Ansem pointed accusingly up at him. "Get down here this instant!"

"Hell no, you'll kill me!"

"I said _GET DOWN_!"

"Nope."

"Listen to me now boy!"

"Beat it, Ans!"

Ansem sighed frustratedly as Sora climbed up the branch he was hanging on and sat on it, staring down at him mischievously.

"You can tell me whatever you need to tell me from here! I'm not getting down!" Sora shouted down at him stubbornly.

Ansem sighed again, trying to calm himself down before getting to the point. "The council and I think it is best that you stay away for a while until we get things under control," he explained as calmly as possible.

"What things?" Sora asked curiously while swinging his legs around freely.

"Y-You know… Your brother's marriage… The coronation…" Ansem replied vaguely.

Folding his arms behind his head and resting his back on the tree behind him, Sora said coolly while hiding a mysterious smile, "It's Naminé, isn't it?"

A startled Ansem stared wide-eyed up at the brown-haired prince. "Sometimes I wonder if you really are clueless or you just love acting it…" He sighed.

"Don't worry; there's nothing going on between us," Sora reassured him with the same casual expression. "We're just friends."

"As much as I am glad to hear it coming from you, I am already aware of that. I am merely saying that it would be better to take precautions nonetheless."

"Fine," Sora replied in a bored manner. "Where do you want me to go?"

"How about you spend a few days over at the Hollow Bastion Kingdom with Princess Kairi?" Ansem suggested eagerly.

"Kairi's not going back to her Kingdom for a while," Sora reminded him. "She said she'll stay here until our birthday party next week."

"Oh, yes… You reminded me," Ansem sighed disappointedly.

"But I can stay at a friend's farm for a couple of days…"

Ansem looked at him suspiciously. "_Peasants_?"

"Don't worry! They don't know who I am, they don't know I am a castle resident!" Sora explained hurriedly.

"They do not know that you are a _prince_?"

Sora shook his head simply.

"Alright… as long as you keep a low profile… I will… I will allow that," Ansem sighed, shrugging.

"Ans, catch!" Sora exclaimed suddenly, throwing an apple down at the older man.

"OW! BRAAAAT!"

_End of Flashback_

"I see..." Marluxia nodded slowly. "You did well by sending him away."

"Yes. And we do not have to worry anymore," Ansem said, smiling. "It is clear that Sora has no feelings for the princess whatsoever. And he seems to be even aware of her interest in him. Shocking."

"He is a mystery to me, that boy…" Marluxia murmured.

Ansem laughed out loud. "He is a mystery to us all!"

"What is his relationship with Princess Kairi?" The pink-haired man questioned suddenly.

"He is infatuated with that girl since they were merely kids," Ansem told him, smiling amusedly. "Originally, she was the princess meant for Prince Roxas. But the King did not want to cause his younger son more heartache…"

"More heartache?" Marluxia questioned curiously.

"Let us go inside, there is many work to be done!" Ansem quickly exclaimed, avoiding the subject.

"True," Marluxia shrugged, letting it go. "We are loafing around too much!"

Laughing simultaneously, they turn back to head toward the castle building.

-o-O-o-

_Knock, knock_

"Come in!"

Roxas entered Naminé's room to find her sitting on a chair in front of her desk, absorbed in her drawing.

"G-Good morning," Roxas greeted her nervously, a hand behind his head.

"Good morning Roxas," Naminé replied distractedly with her back still to him.

"Uhh… A-Are you free today?"

"Mhmm. What do you want to do?"

"I-I was wondering if you'd like to go out with me somewhere…"

"Sure. Sounds fun," She replied casually.

"…Help me pick a birthday present for Sora."

She stopped drawing at the mention of younger prince and slowly placed the pencil back on the desk.

"Y-Your brother will come to your birthday party right?" She asked Roxas as indifferently as possible, turning to face him.

Roxas shrugged. "Maybe… Why?"

She shook her head quickly. "Mmm… I was just curious."

"Okay… I'll wait for you at the carriage," He told excitedly before leaving her room.

Naminé nodded and then got up to get ready.

-o-O-o-

During the ride, the pair was sitting next to each other, a fair distance between them.

Naminé turned to Roxas after a moment of silence and asked curiously, "Why are you shopping for a present for your brother at the last minute? Tomorrow is your birthday isn't it?"

"Yeah… But you know how busy I was… I didn't have enough time to go," he shrugged.

Naminé nodded understandingly. "I think it's sweet…going out yourself to pick a present for your brother. Most of the time, they send servants to do that for them."

Roxas smiled to himself a little while gazing outside the window.

"H-How close are you and your brother?"

"We're close…" Roxas answered casually.

"Your mother… She never talked about him," Naminé stated carefully. "I've been wondering why…"

Roxas stayed silent for a while before speaking again, "Since Sora and I were kids… He was always the one left out; free to do whatever he wants. Like when we have to attend our lessons, Sora would always try to run away and hide somewhere…"

Naminé giggled to herself amusedly.

"…And no one says anything about it or tries to stop him."

"It's different for you though isn't it? Since you're the heir?" Naminé stared at him sympathetically.

Roxas nodded grimly before continuing, "One day, Sora came to me and said, 'Let's make a plan to sneak you out!' And we did it. He snuck me out, we ran away from the castle, and hid somewhere deep inside the forest in Sora's 'secret base'."

Naminé giggled again while saying, "Ansem must have been very angry!"

"Oh yeah… He was," Roxas grinned at the memory. "When they found us, we got one heck of a scolding!"

Naminé giggled harder, imagining it all in her head.

"Especially Sora."

She stopped laughing immediately and stared at him intently as he continued, "The King…"

"Your father?" Naminé asked.

Roxas nodded, a grim expression on his face. "Yeah. He… He sent Sora away to the Hollow Bastion Kingdom so he wouldn't interrupt my studies."

"Princess Kairi's Kingdom…" Naminé mumbled to herself thoughtfully.

"Yeah, they became friends then," he shrugged quickly.

"I see…" Namine muttered quietly to herself. "But you haven't told me… Your mother, why doesn't she ever talk about your brother?"

"Because…" Roxas began uncertainly. "Sora… he—"

"We have arrived!" The driver announced suddenly, stopping the carriage.

"W-We'll talk about it later," Roxas said quickly before opening the carriage's door and getting out, leaving the door open for Naminé to step out.

-o-O-o-

After browsing around few shops for Sora's gift together, the pair finally decided to get him a brand new fishing rod and a nifty bait collection.

"He's obsessed about fishing lately, he'll love it," Roxas remarked, smiling. Naminé nodded in agreement.

As Roxas was inside paying for Sora's gift, Naminé walked out toward the sidewalk, enjoying the fresh outdoor air with her two guards silently trailing behind her.

She stopped and gaped in shock when she found none other than Sora standing near the street, helping a peasant load out vegetable crates from his carriage.

_'Sora!' _She screamed in her head longingly, stopping to see what he was doing from the distance.

"Thanks lad! You've been a great help!" The peasant said after Sora had finished loading out the last crate.

The younger prince removed a sweat from his forehead and grinned up at the peasant tiredly. "N-No problem!"

The peasant put a hand on his pocket and takes out a few coins. "Here, you deserve it for all the help you've given us the past week!"

Sora shook his head quickly. "No thanks!"

"But—"

"I don't really need the money."

Smiling, the peasant said, "You're one fine lad…" He stared at Sora admiringly. "Tell me, which family are ya from? I'm reserving you for my daughter!"

Sora rubbed the back of his head sheepishly while letting out a nervous chuckle. "Uhh… Haha…No thanks, I like being single!" He said, avoiding the man's first question.

"Aww… Nina'll be sad! She has a thing for ya boy, I can tell! It's a father's intuition!"

"I like her too," Sora replied cheerfully before adding, "But she's… five."

"Can't ya wait for her to grow up?"

Sora chuckled nervously, troubled. "Uhh…"

The peasant sighed. "If only I have an older daughter!"

"Hey old man, I'll probably stay at your place again someday. Is that okay?" Sora asked suddenly.

The peasant beamed. "Sure! You're always welcome at our place son!"

Sora smiled at him appreciatively. "Thanks!"

"Well, take care!" The peasant saluted before riding off with his carriage.

Sora waved at him goodbye for a while before turning around and cringing when he found Naminé standing there right in front of him.

"N…! Bro's wife!"

"You know my name?" Naminé stared at him wide-eyed with utter disbelief, gasping. "You DO remember my name!"

Sora scratched the back of his head thoughtfully. "O-Oh…Uhh… Just the first letter!" He laughed nervously before adding, "But _maybe_ I'll get them all eventually! Haha…"

Naminé narrowed her eyes at him suspiciously.

"Why are you here and not… there?" Sora asked dumbly all of a sudden, pointing at the direction of the castle.

"Wh-What about you?" Naminé countered a bit irritatedly. "Where have you been the last week? Don't you know how worried I – I-I mean _we_ – were about you?" She yelled with her hands on her hips.

Sora blinked at her innocently for a while, and then suddenly started snickering.

Naminé pouted angrily. "What's funny?"

"Nothing…" Sora replied innocently while pursing his lips.

"Then why are you laughing?"

"I'm not laughing..." He retorted before bursting out laughing.

"Yes you were! You are!" She pointed at him accusingly, pouting deeper.

Folding his arms behind his head, Sora walked slowly further past Naminé, giving her his back before he stopped and said, "It's just that… Uhh…" He scratched the back of his head nervously. "I-It's the first time someone told me they were worried about me!"

Naminé's face turned pink. "I-I said _we_… all of us… N-Not just me…" She claimed while playing with her fingers nervously.

"Yeah. Mm. Right…" Sora turned his head back to grin mysteriously at her.

"Sora!"

Turning his head around, Sora met his brother Roxas.

"What are you doing here?" The older prince asked curiously. "And what are you _wearing_…?" He motioned at his brother's dirty white T-shirt, plain pants and muddy boots.

"It's my peasant look!" Sora told him cheerfully, grinning. "Y'like it?"

"Er… Yeah." Roxas nodded hesitantly. "You look good."

"So you're here with your fiancée huh?" Sora stated casually.

"Yeah. We're out shopping for your birthday present," Roxas replied, smiling.

Sora grinned from ear to ear. "What did you get me?"

"As if we'll tell you…" Roxas snorted.

"Um… would you want to come back to the castle with—" Naminé began.

"OH NO!" Sora shouted abruptly, clutching both sides of his head.

"What?" Roxas and Naminé questioned at the same time, startled.

"I JUST REALIZED!"

"Realized what?" Roxas asked slowly, raising an eyebrow.

"YOU AND HER ARE GETTING MARRIED!"

Roxas rolled his eyes while Naminé blinked at him with wide eyes, wondering anxiously why the idea sounded so bad to him.

"THEN YOU'LL GIVE BIRTH TO TINY LITTLE MINIATURES OF YOURSELVES!"

Roxas and Naminé's faces turned pink in an instant; they glanced at each other briefly and then quickly looked at the other direction, embarrassed.

"Y-You idiot!" Roxas hissed at his brother angrily. "What are you saying?"

"AND THEN THEY'LL CALL ME… _**UNCLE **__SORA_!" Sora shuddered in horror. "NOOOOO!"

Roxas and Naminé rolled their eyes again.

"Okay, I'm going to the lake to fish now! Bye!" Sora said cheerfully all of a sudden before turning around to skip off.

"Wait!" Roxas called out. "C-Come back with us!" He exclaimed after him, not wanting to stay alone with Naminé now that it had become so awkward.

_'He just made it awkward and left!'_ Naminé thought with a small pout. _'Did he do it on purpose…?'_

During the entire ride back to the castle, Roxas sat as far away as possible from Naminé, pretending to gaze outside the window.

-o-O-o-

The next day, early in the morning, every worker in the castle was busy preparing for the Princes' Birthday party.

Even Olette – the librarian – was forced to help because of the huge amount of work to do and the lack of workers. She was busy dusting off the paintings in the hallway when she accidentally bumped into Roxas as he was passing by.

"Geez Roxas!" She pouted angrily at the older prince. "Can you watch where you're going?"

"Is this a way to speak to your Prince and future King?" Roxas told her teasingly.

"So you finally decided to talk to us, huh. I was beginning to think you abandoned us or something!" She said – referring to Hayner, Pence and her – as she casually turned back to dust the painting.

"Sorry," Roxas mumbled apologetically while rubbing the back of his head. "I was busy."

Olette sighed; she couldn't stay angry at her close friends for too long. "I understand."

"So what's up?" Roxas asked. "How have you been the last few days?"

"Working my butt off, thank you for asking!" Olette retorted blankly, making Roxas chuckled lightly under his breath. "First we had to prepare for the princess' arrival, then your engagement party and now your birthday! Can't you see you're working us to the bone here! Sheesh! Give us a break! What's next?" Olette continued complaining, waving her feather duster around. "Your wedding ceremony? _Please..._ don't decide to get married any time soon, or so help me God I'll quit working here for good!"

"R-Relax Olette!" Roxas said once he managed to stop laughing. "We're definitely not getting married this fast!"

Olette stopped dusting to blink at him curiously. "Oh, that's right. You haven't told me..." She broke into a naughty smile that made Roxas feel uneasy. "How are things going on with you and your fiancée, hmmmm?"

Roxas cringed, sweating nervously. "Wh-What do you mean?"

"You know what I mean!" She smiled wider, waving the feather duster at his face. "Second base? Third base?" She gasped dramatically, covering her mouth, clearly teasing him. "Oh! Don't tell me...! _Fourth base_!"

Roxas blushed bright red instantly. "I-I don't know what you're talking about!" He said quickly before marching down the hallway.

Olette giggled at him, smiling softly. "Awwww~ isn't he cute when he's shy?" She cooed loud enough for him to hear.

He stopped and turned to snap at her through his shoulders, "Shut up!"

She laughed out loud before mumbling to herself quietly, "Cute…" Then, sighing, she turned back to work. "Definitely first base…" She told herself quietly with a small smile.

-o-O-o-

It was finally the night of the birthday party; nearly everyone who had come to their engagement party was gathered at the hall. The Prince and the Princess came down the grand stairs gracefully, with Naminé wrapping her arm around Roxas's, and both of them smiling. The crowd stared at the handsome pair in awe as they descended.

"Happy Birthday Roxas!" Kairi – waiting for them down the stairs along with Riku – exclaimed cheerfully as soon as they came down. Riku, on the other hand, forced out a small smile.

"Thanks Kairi," Roxas grinned at the red-head.

Naminé looked around them silently, searching for a certain brunette. _'I wonder if Sora is here for their birthday… He must be!'_

"Naminé?"

Naminé looked back at Kairi's voice swiftly. "Y-Yes?"

"Are you looking for someone or something?" Kairi studied her curiously.

"U-Uh…I-I'm… I'm looking for the Queen!" Naminé said quickly, smiling forcefully.

"My mother will make her grand appearance later," Roxas told Naminé beside him softly, smiling.

"O-Oh. I see…" She stared down at the ground thoughtfully. _'Should I bring up Sora or not…?'_

"Where's that idiot?" Kairi cried suddenly, looking around them in frustration.

Naminé's hopes went up. "Are you referring to Roxas' brother?" She asked 'innocently'.

"He's probably loafing around near the lake again," Riku muttered coolly.

Roxas rolled his eyes tediously. "You sure know my brother well…"

"Ugh! Can't believe he's not coming for the birthday party again!" Kairi sighed exasperatedly while folding her arms in front of her.

_'Again…?' _Naminé thought to herself confusedly.

"H-He never attends it?" Naminé questioned out loud to the red-head in disbelief.

Kairi shook her head, sighing. "He hates them! Royal parties!"

"The real reason Sora's not here is because Ansem and the council told him to stay away," Riku explained in a seemingly bored fashion.

_'I knew it…' _Naminé looked down miserably.

"Thank you for telling us _now_ Mr. Know-it-all!" Kairi yelled at the silver-head sarcastically. "Ugh, I can't believe that Ansem! I swear once he gets down here, I'll show him a piece of my mind!"

Naminé silently agreed with Kairi.

And then, after that, Kairi appeared to have forgotten all about it when she noticed someone she apparently knew of and rushed excitedly to greet them .

Naminé sighed miserably to herself. _'And I expected her to do something about it…'_

Suddenly, Axel and Demyx joined them and started congratulating and chatting with Roxas cheerfully. Naminé took this as her chance, as Roxas was distracted by his best friends.

She sneaked away quietly, and then, quickly, she rushed up the stairs to Ansem's office.

-o-O-o-

Naminé busted into Ansem's office to find Queen Elena and Ansem having tea near the fireplace. At first, she didn't notice the Queen and just marched blindly toward Ansem.

"Princess…?" Ansem blinked up at her continuously, surprised.

"Why is Roxas's brother not allowed to be at his own birthday party?" She demanded angrily.

Ansem sighed heavily before attempting to explain, "That is because the people do not know him, he is—"

"That's irrelevant!" Naminé snapped. "It's _his_ birthday too, isn't it? How can you treat him this way? How can he let you treat him this way?"

"It is because today is not his birthday," the Queen revealed calmly after taking a sip from her tea.

Naminé stopped abruptly and turned slowly to gawk at the Queen, just noticing her presence.

"Y-Your Majesty!" Ansem stared at the Queen uncertainly.

"It is alright, Ansem. She is becoming part of our family soon. She has the right to know…" The Queen stared at him grimly. "We have to trust her."

Ansem bowed his head down and remained silent.

"You see, my dear…" Queen Elena turned to face the confused Naminé calmly. "Today isn't his birthday. His birthday was yesterday."

Naminé's eyes went wide in shock. "What? B-But if it is… then…that must mean…"

"Yes. He is older than your fiancé," The Queen nodded emotionlessly. "But we had to cover up this fact about their birthdays, especially from Roxas."

"Roxas doesn't know?" Naminé cried angrily. "So all of it was a lie? Roxas isn't the heir? He's suffering from something that wasn't meant for him!"

"It is only for his and this Kingdom's good," Ansem explained slowly. "Sora is merely Roxas's half-brother. Roxas knows that. He knows that Sora is tainted with a commoner's blood that is flowing within him. He is not suited."

"Wh-What? I-I don't understand…" Naminé stared at Ansem and then at the Queen dumbfoundedly.

"Sora was… an unexpected turn of event that tore our family apart. He doesn't belong with us," The Queen said coldly.

"What are you saying? How can you speak ill of him like that! He's your son!" Naminé cried in outrage.

"My dear, haven't you been listening?" The Queen stared at Naminé tiredly. "That boy is not my son!"

"H-Huh? No… I… I don't believe it…" Naminé shook her head slowly, completely dumbstruck.

"It is the truth…" Ansem said with a sigh. "Sora is the result of an affair the King had with a commoner. She got pregnant with him around the same time the Queen got pregnant with Roxas. To cover up the scandal, we had to pay the commoner gold so she would let Sora come alone while she left somewhere faraway where our Queen will not have to see her again."

"She sold her own son?" Namine choked, fighting tears.

"Sora was five years old when the deal was made," Ansem continued explaining sternly. "He had grown up and shared a striking resemblance to Roxas that rumors started flying around. We could not allow such a risk. Her Majesty despised Sora's mother, and she did not want the commoner's son – who was born first – to take the throne instead of her own."

"Hmph," the Queen looked away abruptly. "The commoner slut was all could Rufus think about! He couldn't think rationally with her around, that cunt!"

"So you bought him from his mother?" Naminé asked incredulously. "You bought him and made _everyone_ believe that he was the younger son just so your own son would get the throne instead?"

"Yes. It was for the best. For us and for him," Ansem replied grimly. "Sora knows all of this and he is fine with it, as you can see."

Naminé pursed her lips hard, trying to resist the urge to cry. "H-How did Sora feel?" She choked out.

"Well…" Ansem began uncertainly, taken aback by the princess' reaction.

"How did Sora feel when you made the deal?" Naminé demanded angrily, her tears running down freely now.

"He did not want to come with us. So we had no other choice but to tell him that his mother was waiting for him at the castle," Ansem answered her quickly with a troubled sigh.

"You lied to him…" Naminé slowly shook her head at them in disbelief and disgust.

"Well, yes… but it was for his own good," Ansem insisted. "During the first few days Sora was brought here… he was very troublesome to deal with. He, apparently, did not like it here… tried to escape several times, wouldn't stop crying for days, refused to eat… But I believe he was merely unaccustomed to this new and unfamiliar environment. You see, a few days after, he got along with everyone fine. Especially Roxas and the castle residents… He is happy!" Ansem explained, smiling to assure her. "We gave him the best life a commoner could wish for!"

_Silence._

"You're heartless! You're all heartless!" Naminé exploded at the both of them before turning around swiftly and running out of the room in tears.

"PRINCESS! STOP! GUAR—" Ansem shouted at the nearby guards standing outside the door but the Queen stopped him by putting a hand on his shoulder.

"Y-Your Majesty?" Ansem looked at her confusedly.

"Let her go," The Queen said with a tired sigh. "As much as I despise that boy… You have to feel pity toward him."

Suddenly, Marluxia entered the room in a hurry. "Have you seen the Princess?" He asked them worriedly.

"She has left to look for Sora, presumably…" The Queen answered him calmly.

Marluxia's eyes went wide. "P-Prince Sora? Why?"

"Lord Marluxia is right, Your Majesty," Ansem told the Queen panicky. "We cannot have the Princess grow any fonder of him than she already is!"

"It'd ruin our plan for her and Prince Roxas!" Marluxia added grimly, "And you must know what that means…"

"Don't worry, you two…" The Queen said while calmly taking a sip of her tea. "Sure, the princess has fallen in love with that boy… But it is not like he returns her feelings."

Ansem shook his head, saying, "If we let them be, then it will happen and he will eventually—"

The Queen laughed lightly, waving a dismissive hand in front of her. "Not possible. It is unlikely for Sora to return her feelings. He will not dare fall in love with her."

Ansem sighed frustratedly. "If Your Majesty is referring to Princess Kairi, all of us know that it is merely a small crush that could fade at—"

"No, Ansem. You forgot that Sora feels indebted to _my_ son. For he was the one who tore his family apart. Because of his presence, I could not stand living here while having to pretend that he is my son."

Ansem and Marluxia relaxed a bit.

"So you see, Sora will not allow himself to fall in love with her. He feels that much indebted to Roxas. And to me…" She stared into space grimly. "He will not be able to welcome her in his heart…"

-o-O-o-

_"They told me she'd be here… They lied. Adults always lie. I hate them…"_

_'Sora… that was you in my dream wasn't it?'_ Naminé thought painfully. "Where are you?" She shouted out loud frantically as she was turning all around her, looking for him in the castle garden, where he usually hung out. But he was nowhere at sight, and it was impossible to see at this hour. The sun was setting, the darkness was creeping in.

_"…This is a secret side of the lake that nobody else can find!"_

"The lake!" Naminé exclaimed before changing direction and running toward Sora's favorite spot.

-o-O-o-

Naminé found Sora at last, sitting near the lake's shore. She stopped abruptly, eyeing him sadly from the distance.

He was facing the shore, his back to her.

'_All this time… you knew. You knew that you are the rightful heir. And yet… you played the clueless younger brother… you convinced every one of the lies those heartless people tell themselves! For Roxas's sake, you didn't show yourself to his mother in our engagement party… did you feel guilty for all that Roxas had to endure, Sora…?'_

Naminé took a step forward.

Sora's head suddenly perked-up. He quickly wiped something off his face and turned around. He grinned from ear to ear when he spotted her.

"Bro's wife! Why are you here? Did the party end or what? Drat! I so wanted to go there for the food! How was the cake? Delicious huh? Lucky… can't believe I missed it!" He stopped talking and blinked at her curiously from the distance. "Hey Bro's wife… are you crying? What's wrong?" He asked worriedly.

_'Stupid Sora… You always hide behind your smile...'_ Naminé sniffed as fresh tears trickled down her face.

"My brother didn't do anything to you, did he? Naah! Impossible! He's not that kind…" He laughed it off, and then stopped suddenly when he noticed her still looking sadly at him. "B-Bro's wife?" He asked again, frowning.

Suddenly, she ran toward him then dropped to her knees and threw her arms around his neck, and then fondly pulled him close to her chest.

"S-Sora! I-I'm so sorry… so sorry…!"

Sora was stunned; he stayed frozen in her embrace, wide-eyed.

"M-My heart aches when I think about you…" She sobbed against his shoulder. "How could Sora who smiles brightly every time I see him… bear with so much pain?"

"…" Sora frowned to himself quietly, figuring out that she had learned about him.

"I-I know it's late but…" She sniffed, hugging him a bit tighter. "Happy Birthday Sora..."

Suddenly, Sora gently started patting her back in a brotherly manner, smiling softly. "There, there… It's okay!" He told her soothingly. "I'm perfectly happy now! Honest!"

She pulled back, sniffing again, and then looked up at his big assuring grin before smiling back in spite of her tears.

"Better!" Sora exclaimed happily while getting up and dusting himself.

"Come on!" He offered his hand to Naminé to pull her up. "I don't think the party's over yet! Let's go and crash it!" He told her with a mischievous grin.

Naminé blinked up at him skeptically.

"What?" He blinked at her confusedly.

"Are you really happy Sora?" She asked quietly, doubtful.

Sora grinned wider at her before crouching down and pinching both of her cheeks. Naminé blushed instantly at his closeness.

"Hey you…" He told her playfully. "You worry too much about me!"

Naminé blushed deeper as Sora let go suddenly and stood back up.

"U-Um… I… Umm…" She started playing with her fingers nervously.

"Come on, let's go!" Sora interrupted her, offering his hand again. "We don't want to miss the party!" He told her cheerfully before adding, "Right, _Na~Mi~Né_?" He emphasized her name with a mysterious grin.

'_I-It's the first time he called me by my name! Is he trying to cheer me up?' _Naminé wondered in her head excitedly.

"Mm!" She nodded happily, breaking into an exhilarated smile before wiping off her tears and taking Sora's hand.

_'I feel a bit closer to Sora…'_

As soon as she was back up on her feet, Sora let go of her hand and started walking. She frowned to herself, missing his touch.

_'And yet, I still sense a distance between us…'_

"Naminé, are you coming?" She heard Sora shout at her from the distance.

"C-Coming!" She stood up quickly, dusted herself, and then hurriedly ran after him.

_'I wonder when he will accept me in his heart...'_

-o-O-o-


	6. Soulmates

Chapter 6: _Soulmates_

_Later after Roxas's birthday party, Roxas and his friends play a game of truth and dare hidden in one of the castle basement rooms…_

"Hey, girl with the food name!" Axel said once the bottle stopped at Olette. "It's your turn. Go on, Selph. Ask her."

"Truth or dare?" Selphie asked excitedly.

"Truth," Olette replied bluntly.

"Do you have someone you like?"

Olette blushed bright red, fidgeting about. "Maybe…"

"There is no _maybe_!" Axel interfered exasperatedly. "Yes or no!"

Olette looked down at her lap and blushed deeper before mumbling, "Yes…"

"Who is it?" Demyx asked curiously.

"You can't ask two questions!" Olette snapped at him.

Axel spun the bottle suddenly, eager to get to his turn. And by sheer luck, he finally got it.

"Ohohohoo!" Axel smirked, clapping his hands randomly as the bottle pointed at Sora. "Truth. Or. _Dare_, Spiky?"

"Tough luck Sora," Pence addressed the prince informally, but no one minded. In fact, it was all a show in front of Ansem and the other residents of the castle. Backstage, they were all close friends who treated each other equally.

"Axel always makes you do impossible stuff! You're sooo in trouble if you pick 'Dare'!" Demyx giggled.

Namine glanced at Sora worriedly. _'Please pick Truth…'_

Sora, looking as confident as ever, announced bravely, "Dare!"

"Ooooh!" The entire room tensed, glancing at each other spookily.

Axel looked around thoughtfully for while, trying to find the ultimate dare. Then his eyes fell on Naminé and his evil smirk stretched cunningly. Naminé was suddenly feeling alarmed.

"Sora… I dare you to _kiss your brother's fiancée_!" Axel said eerily.

"Ooooh!" Everyone glanced at each other spookily again.

"That's just wrong!" Olette shook her head, frowning a bit.

"You're so evil Axel!" Hayner smirked, chuckling.

"YOU'RE DONE FOR SORA!" Demyx exclaimed, grinning and looking at Sora as if saying 'I-told-you-so'.

"You don't have to do it Sora!" Pence looked at the brunette pitifully.

"Interesting…" Riku muttered with a mysterious smirk.

Meanwhile, Selphie was snickering in the background, being the only one who knew of Naminé's feelings toward the brown-haired prince.

"H-Hey! Th-That's not right!" Kairi objected suddenly, pouting.

"Oho!" Axel smirked at the red-head. "Someone's _jealous_!"

"Wh-Why would I be jealous for that idiot?" Kairi retorted, blushing slightly. Sora chuckled weakly in the background at her response.

"Y-You're being too harsh, Kairi…" Naminé told her quietly, smiling weakly as well.

Suddenly, without warning, Sora – sitting across from Naminé at the circle – took a major crawl forward and leaned in toward her face slowly…

Namine blushed profusely, more alarmed than ever. She closed her eyes abruptly, her heart beating violently inside her chest. Everyone was watching expectantly with wide-open eyes.

"H-Hey…!" Roxas was about to move, finally waking from his shock.

But then, just as suddenly, Sora stopped. Naminé opened her eyes, confused.

And that was when she saw Sora shudder abruptly, as if in disgust, and pull back to his place. "I can't do it!" He announced sheepishly in defeat, grinning.

Naminé blinked confusedly; her heart was still beating so fast.

Suddenly, everyone burst out laughing, and Roxas somewhat relaxed.

"I knew it!" Axel smirked victoriously.

"You lose!" Hayner added, grinning.

Sora chuckled sheepishly. "But it's hard! I-It's like kissing your _sister_!" He shuddered with disgust again.

Naminé finally woke from her shock, feeling truly devastated. She couldn't help the frown growing on her face, and so she kept staring down at her lap dejectedly. _'Why… Why did you have to say this…?'_ She thought miserably.

"You know the penalty…" Axel told Sora evilly. "KISS MALEFICIENT!"

"EWWW!" The entire room made a disgusted face, laughing.

"THE _LIPS_? I'LL _DIE_!" Sora made a face, causing everyone to laugh harder.

"That's way too cruel Axel…" Roxas shook his head, grinning.

"Fine," Axel shrugged. "By the king's request and since you're the birthday boy, we'll lighten the penalty a bit: you must kiss Maleficent on the _cheek_ instead!"

Sora shrugged casually and got up to serve his punishment. And then, turning, he said through his shoulder, "If I don't come back… know that tomorrow's dish is probably me!"

Everyone laughed again, except Naminé, who tried to smile along but still looked glum.

She watched Sora grinning at his friends as he was exiting the place, feeling very miserable.

For a brief moment that Naminé was wondering if it was truly happening or not, Sora's eyes met hers and he smiled really softly, giving her the thumbs up to cheer her up.

Namine smiled back weakly. _'Even though we can never be… I wish that you would love me… the way I love you…'_

Suddenly, Ansem barged in, looking mad as hell. "WHAT IN HEAVENS NAME ARE YOU ALL DOING HERE, PLAYING WITH THE SERVANTS?" He glared at the servants. "AND YOU SLACKERS! GET BACK TO YOUR JOBS!"

Everyone groaned. "Party-pooper…" Selphie mumbled under her breath as everyone began to disperse, sighing.

-o-O-o-

_A week later…_

_'Well… at least it's better than before,'_Naminé thought with a mental shrug as she was being seated at the dining table for dinner. _'He's actually acknowledging my presence now…'_

She looked up at the brunette sitting across the table – it was one of those rare times when Sora showed his face and actually found his way to the dining hall on time – and he caught her looking, grinned and then gave her the thumbs up sign.

_'Why again…'_ Naminé wondered to herself, smiling back at him reluctantly. _'Is he trying to cheer me up? I wonder how he is able to tell whenever I'm feeling depressed?'_

Suddenly, Naminé felt a gentle tap on her shoulder. She turned her head quickly to find Roxas sitting beside her and smiling at her. "Good morning."

"Good morning," Naminé replied, smiling back brightly.

Looking back, she noticed that Sora was gone and his plate was empty. _'He sure is a fast eater…' _She remarked in her head in awe.

"I'm going to be away next month for a while," Roxas announced to her suddenly. "I'm supposed to visit some of my old man's friends to decide on some stuff," he told her in a bored fashion, shrugging. "They want to prepare me for when I take the throne I guess."

"I see," Naminé replied distractedly, reaching out for the spoon to eat.

"Good, I just wanted to let you know as soon as possible," Roxas told her with a quick smile. "I don't want to hide anything from each other."

Naminé gulped down her food hard and eyed the plate silently. "Mm," she finally uttered, forcing a smile at the blonde prince.

Smiling wider in assurance, he turned back to his meal.

-o-O-o-

After dinner, Naminé went up to her room. On her way there, she passed by Sora's room and stopped to gaze at it. There wasn't any sound coming from in there. Sora was definitely not in. She sighed heavily and went into her room to sleep.

During her sleep, Naminé had another weird dream. A horrible dream where Sora hadn't existed in the Kingdom…

-o-O-o-

Next morning had a big surprise for every castle resident.

The King was back.

It was a surprise visit for everyone, and apparently, it was an urgent visit, as well.

_The hallway, outside the King's chamber_

"Now listen, your Highness," Ansem began grimly. "His Majesty, your father, is lying on his bed right now, extremely ill and tired. His doctor said that he does not have much time left. He is _dying_. So by all means _behave_ yourself around him and do not help his condition to worsen, is that clear?"

"Whatever," Roxas muttered coldly, looking away.

"And princess," Ansem turned to Naminé next to Roxas. "I am sure you are very thrilled to meet your future father-in-law. But you must try and not let his Majesty to talk too much; it is bad for his health."

Namine nodded quickly. "You don't have to worry; I have been around sick people before. It's nothing new to me."

When Ansem looked at her curiously, Roxas said softly in her stead, "It's her grandmother, she was ill." They had already spent a lot of time together – mostly talking – and hadalready learned a lot about the other.

"Ah, I see. I am sorry," Ansem said apologetically, looking at Naminé.

"It's alright," she smiled a little, shaking her head.

Suddenly, Marluxia stepped in beside Naminé. "Are you anxious Princess?" He asked the blonde girl softly.

"A little," Naminé admitted, smiling nervously. And then, looking around them and not finding a certain person, she asked, "Where's…" She stopped and decided to edit her question. "…The Queen?"

"My mother has already spoken to my old man," Roxas informed her. "Now she's locked herself in her room…" He looked at the floor gloomily.

Naminé frowned sadly too. Not entirely for the Queen, for her main concern was Roxas. Even if she didn't love him the way she loved his brother, but she still deeply cared about him. He was her counterpart. They were so very much alike. Both of them had suffered from the hard life of royalty where adults constantly made their decisions for them.

Caringly, she reached out and held Roxas' hand reassuringly. Roxas tensed immediately and stared at her, wide-eyed and blushing a bit.

Smiling softly, she told him, "Don't worry Roxas. It'll be alright, I'm here."

He smiled back at her. Truly smiled. And then, they entered the King's room together, hand-in-hand…

-o-O-o-

_The King's room_

"Sora? Is that you?" The King – lying on his bed and breathing difficultly – asked in a weak, strained voice, squinting at the direction of the doorway.

"Wow, this is a first," Roxas said sarcastically, standing by King Rufus's bed alongside Naminé. "_You_ asking for Sora…"

Namine frowned slightly at his cold attitude. "Roxas… remember what Ansem said," she reminded him quietly.

When the King saw that it was not his other son, he sighed, slightly disappointed. And then he looked back up again and smiled warmly at the heir to his throne. "Roxas… How are you doing son?"

"Great. Just great."

"I'm sorry…" The King muttered sadly, looking down.

Naminé glared at him. Sheepishly, Roxas turned back to face his father. "No really, I _am_ doing great."

"That is wonderful," his father looked back at him quickly with a joyful smile. Then he looked over at Naminé and his smile grew. "Princess Naminé. Beautiful as ever…"

Naminé blushed shyly at the compliment and bowed her head a bit. "Thank you, your Majesty."

"Oh, no," Roxas' father said quickly, waving a hand. "Please, call me father. I'd very much like that."

"It's a pleasure to finally to meet you, father," Naminé said, smiling sympathetically at the old dying man.

The King laughed heartily. "I like her," he told Roxas with a weak smile. "She reminds me of me…"

"I'm not sure about that, Naminé is kind," Roxas blurted out before thinking. He grimaced when he realized what he'd just said and King Rufus's expression became grim.

Naminé glared at him again in disbelief. "Roxas!" She hissed scoldingly with a furious pout. "That was very rude! How could you say that to your own father at a time like this?"

Roxas hung his head a bit low sheepishly, like a kid getting scolded by his mother. "Sorry," he mumbled quietly. "I-I didn't mean it…"

Suddenly, the King burst out laughing. Naminé and Roxas turned to blink at him in surprise.

Rufus stopped laughing abruptly when it started to hurt and smiled warmly at Naminé. "You are good for him. I can… rest in peace now knowing that he has you with him."

Roxas and Naminé smiled softly at him at the same time.

Then the King suddenly frowned to himself. "But Sora…" He sighed heavily. Naminé was frowning, too, before he continued, "I worry about him."

"Don't worry… dad," Roxas said softly. "I'll keep an eye on that idiot."

The King sighed again to himself, and then went on, "He opens his heart to everyone… but he doesn't let them in easily."

Naminé stared down at the floor gloomily, feeling her heart ache again for the brown-haired prince.

"It is excruciating to feel alone when you're not really alone… when you yearn for someone that isn't meant for you, and when you can reach them any time, but the boundaries called fate keep holding you back…" he paused and sighed heavily again.

'_I wonder if it's what he feels about Sora's mom…' _Naminé thought with a sad frown.

"In all my life, I've always wondered… what is fate? Do we have the power to alter it? And now, with great sorrow, I realized…" His expression turned grim. "In the harsh life of royalty, you cannot change your destiny. It is chosen for you… and there's nothing you can do about it…"

"…" Roxas and Naminé were frowning as they soberly kept listening to the dying old king's regrets.

"I know that I have been very harsh with you, Roxas," the King turned to his son seriously. "But I do not regret that. Because it helped you grow into this great young man who I believe will rule this kingdom capably."

Roxas smiled sadly at his father, blinking back tears. "I'm really sorry… for treating you like I hate you… but the truth is, I don't… I'm glad you're my father!"

The King smiled with joy, making Naminé smile warmly as well at their father-son moment. Suddenly, Rufus coughed loudly and held his chest in pain.

"Are you alright?" Naminé asked frantically.

"Dad!" Roxas exclaimed worriedly at the same time, instinctively crouching down by his father's bed and holding his shaking hand.

Suddenly, Lord Ansem came in after knocking the door once. His eyes went wide alarmingly when he saw the King's condition. "Your Majesty!"

"Ha-Have you found Sora yet?" The King asked through fits of painful coughing.

_'Sora…'_ Naminé thought nostalgically. _'Don't tell me they won't let him see his dying father too…'_

"N-No your Majesty," Ansem confessed sheepishly. "Y-You know your son, your Majesty. He is very hard to… find."

"He'll turn up eventually," Roxas assured his father. "He really cares about you."

The King's coughing subsided abruptly. He looked down and sighed heavily for the third time. "After all I put him through…? I doubt it…"

'_He feels guilty… how sad, to die with so many regrets…'_ Naminé frowned sadly again at the princes' father.

"D-Do not fret, your Majesty," Ansem said quickly, sweating nervously. "We have sent servants to look for him. We will find him soon… _I hope_."

"Please, Ansem," the King pleaded all of a sudden, surprising the people in the room. "You have to find my son. I have to speak to him. I _must_!"

_Silence._

"I understand," Ansem replied softly before turning around and hurriedly marching out of the room to look for Sora himself, too.

Roxas and Naminé stayed with King Rufus for a while, and never left him until it was night and they were going to bed.

-o-O-o-

Outside the King's room, Roxas suddenly stopped, gazing at the floor thoughtfully.

"What's wrong?" Naminé asked him softly.

"I'm just thinking… about my father," he explained quietly. "I've always… felt angry toward him. But now I don't. Now I understand that everything he's done was for my own good…" He looked at Naminé and smiled weakly. "Don't mind me, I'm just thinking out loud stupidly…"

Naminé smiled back. "No, I think I understand how you feel. Our parents always want what's best for us."

"Dad's dying now…" Roxas stated miserably, a painful look in his eyes.

Quickly, Naminé held his hand and squeezed it, unable to bear seeing him in pain. "But he'll die knowing that you are happy and pleased with him. A parent couldn't ask for more. It's their ultimate goal in life… to see their children happy. That's what my grandmother told me."

Roxas blinked at her, and then smiled suddenly. "I like having you with me. You're always able to sense when I'm feeling sad or miserable and cheer me up. All I need is to look at you, and I cheer up instantly... How can you do that?"

Naminé giggled.

"I heard it's something that soulmates share… the ability to sense each other's thoughts and emotions," And then he quickly added, "Olette told me that!"

"I see," Naminé giggled lightly, and then, automatically, she thought of her and Sora.

_'Soulmates…'_

-o-O-o-

That night, up on the roof of the castle building, just above the room King Rufus was at, a certain brown-haired prince was lying back and gazing up at the sky calmly. He'd heard everything going on in their father's room, as he had been lying here the entire time, since his father's arrival.

And then, suddenly, after he'd heard Roxas and Naminé leave the room, he climbed down the roof and jumped down on the King's room's balcony. He was a pro at this, thanks to his countless escapades at sneaking in and out of the castle.

The King, who was still awake, looked to his right at the window at the sound of someone climbing the roof above his ceiling. And then, he blinked in a funny, incredulous way as he watched Sora's stunt.

Sora opened the window to his father's room and attempted to jump in, tripped, and fell head-first inside.

The King blinked at him stupidly. And then, abruptly, he burst out laughing. He laughed so much that he started to cough. "Sora! Oh, Sora! You're the same!" The King laughed once more between coughs. "Oh I'm glad… glad…" He removed the tears gathering around the corner of his eyes from laughing so much.

Sora stood up abruptly, dusted himself, and stared down at his shoes meekly instead of his father. He didn't know what to say to his father, whom he had never seen in ages. And in his lifetime, Sora had barely spoken to him too. He'd never gotten the chance.

Smiling warmly at his son from afar, the King said softly, "Come here, son…" He motioned at the edge of his bed.

Sora obeyed without a word, walking toward his father nervously. He crouched down beside his father's bed.

The King began his speech, one he had wanted to say for a very long while now, "I've wanted to tell you this for so long… I…" All of a sudden, he bowed his head shamefully. "I apologize deeply for failing as a father!"

Sora stared at him, wide-eyed and completely dumbstruck. "D-Dad…" He managed to choke out.

"And I'm deeply sorry for the way I treated you, son. But I want you to know…" He looked down at his hands miserably. "…That I could have let you go with your mother, my wife - Roxas' mother - oh so much wanted this. Her wish was for both you and your mother to disappear from our lives, but… I couldn't do it. You are my son. I couldn't let you go. You belong to me and I felt responsible for you.

And that is why I did what I did and I'm sorry for that. I'm sorry for taking you away from your mother, and I'm sorry about all the tough times you had to endure here. I am deeply, deeply sorry that I wasn't always there to protect you. And I am sorry that I won't be there to protect you anymore…"

"Dad! Don't say that!" Sora pleaded tearfully, crawling closer to his father's side and holding his hand.

"And I fear," he continued, however, "That once I'm gone my wife and the council would try to deny your linkage to me and banish you out of the kingdom, since it was me who made sure to keep you in the first place. I'm the only family you have left here…" He added sadly.

Sora forced a grin. "Don't worry dad! I've got my brother Roxas; he won't ever let me down!"

His father smiled weakly. "That's true… as soon as Roxas takes my place; everyone has to obey him. And surely, he'll be sure to protect you and keep you under his wing."

And then, the King's expression darkened grimly. "But my wife is cunning. She will probably try to turn your brother against you, be careful Sora…"

Sora nodded quietly.

With a deep and heavy sigh, the King continued, "I wish that you take your rightful place as the heir instead, though… You have… The biggest heart… You'd be a greater king for this kingdom. I… believe in… you… "

Sora could feel his father's life slipping away between his hands. A tear came down his face. "Th-Thanks, dad…" He choked out.

"Take care of your little brother."

Sora merely nodded, pressing his lips together tighter, fearing that if he spoke now, he'd break.

"A-And Sora, this is important… if you… ever… decide to take the throne… or if the council… or anyone… for that matter… tries to deny you as… my son…" He paused, breathing with extreme difficultness. "Y-You sh-should… seek your mo-mother… M-Mina…" He said hastily, his eyes slowly starting to widen, and his skin paling and getting colder.

Sora's eyes widened in shock. "M-My mom is still alive? Where is she? How can I find her?"

His father's eyes stared to shut off slowly. "Mina…" He mumbled softly, a nostalgic smile on his face as he surrendered to death.

"Dad?" Sora shook his father's hand panicky. "Dad!"

Sora stared in horror at his father's frozen, peaceful expression. Then he pulled his father's hand closely against his face and silently and lonesomely began to cry…

-o-O-o-

_Time Skip: The Funeral_

It had been a few days after the King's death, the whole Kingdom was mourning his passing.

At the royal family's graveyard, near the King's grave, Naminé, Roxas, his mother, Ansem, Marluxia and all their other friends and family were mourning their late king.

During the last few days, Naminé had been there for Roxas when he had heard the news, she'd been there to cheer him up and support him through it. But she'd always wondered about _him_.

She searched around her, trying to find Sora, but he wasn't anywhere at sight.

_'I heard he was the last one to see the King…'_ Naminé thought sadly. _'It must've been very painful… Sora… You must be in a lot of pain… Where are you?'_

Suddenly, she felt footsteps coming. Somehow, she sensed it. Sora's presence. She turned around swiftly, her golden hair swinging in the hair.

And she was right. It was Sora, walking toward his father's grave soberly.

She hurried toward him.

"S-Sora…! You came!" She exclaimed, unable to hide her excitement. "I—we… we were so worried about you… how are you feeling? Are you alright?"

Sora listened to her while blinking at her numbly the whole while. After she'd finished talking, he smiled at her fleetingly.

"It's okay," he told her quickly. "We always knew that this day would come. He was sick and his doctor said that he didn't have much time left. That's why Roxas is getting married early."

Naminé nodded slowly, still looking worried though.

Sora grinned and poked her cheek playfully. "What did I tell you about worrying too much?" He startled her by putting his hands on her shoulders and directing her toward where Roxas was, kneeling in front of his dad's grave and tearing silently.

"You should worry over _him_," Sora told her, letting go and stepping back. "He's the one that spent most of his time with dad, after all." And then, quietly, he addded, "I barely had any time with him…"

_'Isn't that sadder?_' Naminé wanted to say out loud, but wasn't able to. Because, turning around, she found that Sora was already gone…

-o-O-o-

_One month later…_

One whole month without Sora.

At first, Naminé had been very depressed over Sora's disappearance. She'd been worried sick, wondering if he was doing okay after his father's death. Luckily, she had been able to hear some news about him from Selphie later on, who had heard from the other servants. Apparently, Sora had left to camp somewhere in the wild with some of his peasant friends…

_Early afternoon, outside on the balcony_

Naminé was sitting by herself at the table, drawing scenarios from the nature around her on her sketchbook, when suddenly; Roxas came in and put a present box on her lap.

Yesterday had been her birthday. And everyone had celebrated it, including their family and friends. Minus Sora, of course.

Roxas had already got Naminé a birthday present yesterday, a collection of sketchbooks and pencils. But he'd already planned to get her something else, too.

Naminé smiled up at him. "But you already gave me a present!"

Roxas smiled back sheepishly, scratching the back of his head. "And here I was being generous and decided to get you another gift. You don't want it?" He pretended to take back the box.

"No!" She retorted quickly, pulling back the box toward her. "I want it! I'm curious… what did you get me…"

Roxas's smile stretched. "Open it," He urged her.

She did quickly. He smiled at her as she tore at it like a child. She gasped once she saw the present. It was a painting by one of the region's most famous artists. Naminé was a big fan of her works.

She blinked at the painting confusedly all of a sudden. "Huh? I've never seen this painting of hers before!"

"That's because it's her newest, one of a kind," Roxas explained.

"Huh?" Namine looked up at him confusedly.

"I asked her to paint one specifically for you for your birthday but she took longer time than expected, that's why it's a day late. I meant to give it to you with yesterday's present but…" He shrugged. "Do you like it?"

Naminé was grinning. "I _LOVE_ IT! I'm a big fan of her works, she's my _idol_!" Suddenly, she felt shy about her childish outburst and sat back, blushing from embarrassment.

Roxas laughed out loud amusedly. "You're so cute!"

She blushed harder, pouting cutely down at her lap. And then, without warning, Roxas leaned and caught her lips.

Her eyes widened in shock as she felt Roxas's lips on her own. The painting fell down from her frozen hands to the floor, causing Roxas to pull back quickly.

"S-Sorry…" He stuttered nervously, looking at sketchbook on the floor and blushing hard.

She shook her head quickly, still feeling dumbfounded, though.

"U-Uhm… I-I'm going out of the Kingdom tomorrow morning for a day or two to meet with some of my father's old friends. Y-You know, the trip I told you about before… D-Do you need anything?"

She shook her head blankly.

"O-Okay… T-Take care of yourself, then…" He told her awkwardly.

She simply nodded, unable to look him in the eyes.

"Well… G-Goodbye…" He left the balcony with a disappointed look on his face.

Naminé fleetingly caught the sad look on his face and immediately felt guilty. _'What kind of fiancée am I? Breaking his heart even while he has been nothing but great with me lately…'_ She let out a miserable sigh. _'I'm so sorry Roxas… If only I could stop loving your brother…'_

Picking up the painting from the floor, Naminé started to think that maybe, possibly… She would forget all about Sora one day and start to fall in love with Roxas instead? Like she was supposed to? Who knows? She thought. Anything could happen…

-o-O-o-


	7. A Bursting of Emotions

Chapter 7: _A Bursting of Emotions_

_Later, the same day…_

Naminé was visiting Roxas in his room as he was preparing for tomorrow morning's trip, worried about him. The last time she'd seen him was earlier this morning, when he'd left with that disappointed look on his face after he'd kissed her and she didn't respond. She didn't want him to leave tomorrow while feeling disappointed with her.

"Roxas?" She knocked on his open room's door gently and stepped in.

He turned around and blinked at her with surprise. It was the first time she'd visited his room. "Naminé… is something wrong?" He asked worriedly.

Suddenly, Naminé went across the room and hugged him, resting her head on his shoulder as she spoke, "I'm so sorry Roxas, I know I'm an awful fiancée…"

Roxas blinked with surprise several times before smiling and hugging her back gently. "It's alright. Everything was arranged and unexpected; you still need time to get used to our sudden forced relationship. I can understand that… because… I felt the same before too."

'_It is not alright… and I can't tell you why…' _Naminé thought miserably, frowning deeply against his shoulder. _'Even now, I'm thinking about your brother, and I know it's wrong but I can't help it…I don't think I'll ever stop loving him. It can never work out between us… but I can't tell you that…' _She closed her eyes tightly in agony_. 'Loving someone who doesn't love you back… I understand that feeling so well. And it pains me that I am making you go through it too…'_

_Later, the dining hall, during the dinner meal…_

The Queen was still not seeing anyone after the King's death, and so she didn't join the other castle residents for the dinner meal.

"I am worried about my mother. She's still affected by my dad's death," Roxas sighed deeply.

"Don't worry. I'm sure Her Majesty will recover soon. She has you," Naminé turned her head to Roxas next to her and smiled at him reassuringly.

"Princess Naminé is right," Ansem smiled from across the table. "Her Majesty told me that she plans to stay here permanently to watch over you. That is great news, is it not?"

Roxas smiled happily. "I'm glad..."

Naminé smiled at him warmly, happy for him.

"I believe this means you will be crowned king soon," Marluxia remarked next to Ansem, smiling at the blonde prince. "To be a king at such a young age… it is a big burden, but you have princess Naminé next to you, she will be your support through tough times ahead."

Roxas and Naminé exchanged a smile.

"Let us just hope that your brother would settle down some day," Ansem grumbled all of a sudden. It was the first time Sora was mentioned since the King's funeral, one month ago. Naminé stopped eating and listened to Ansem carefully as he continued, "…so we can marry him off to a foreign princess. That will strengthen our bonds with our allies. At least then he will be of _some_ use."

"Where is that idiot anyway?" Roxas blurted out. "I haven't seen him since dad's funeral, I'm kind of worried…"

Suddenly, someone busted into the dining hall, startling everyone, and jumped to sit on the nearest empty chair, next to Naminé.

"BRAAT! What did I tell you about barging into places?" Ansem scolded angrily, shaking a fist in the air.

"Leave it to Roxas's brother to make a dramatic entrance…" Axel chuckled from the far end of the table, along with his partner, Demyx.

Naminé's eyes widened as her heart started beating loudly in her chest. _'I-It's him…!'_ Anxiously, she turned her head to her right and sure enough, it was Sora, grinning sheepishly at Ansem.

"Yo Ans!" He waved at the older man cheerfully.

Ansem grumbled to himself quietly while Marluxia sighed next to him, "I don't think you'll be able to marry off that one easily…"

"Where the hell were you?" Roxas demanded, glaring at his brother. "It's been a whole month!"

"Well…I spent the first few days camping in the woods," Sora shrugged. "And then me and Riku went to Midgar to help a bounty hunter look for some guy named Silas…" He shrugged again casually, stuffing his mouth with the nearest chicken leg as he continued with a mouthful, "Then Riku had some family business to do and left!"

"Why didn't you come back home then? You left right after dad died without saying a word, we were worried about you idiot!" Roxas scolded angrily.

"Because Cookie disappeared."

"Cookie? What is he talking about?" Marluxia blinked confusedly. "I am starting to question your prince's sanity…"

Naminé giggled to herself quietly, blushing. _'Oh, I missed him so much…'_

"My horse, she disappeared," Sora hastily explained. "Looked everywhere for her… I even went back and visited all places I've been to… then when I got back here because I ran out of money and starving…"

Ansem rolled his eyes. "Typical..."

"…I found out that she already got back here by herself," he shrugged simply.

"She probably felt the same thing as the owner," Axel smirked.

Ansem sighed, shaking his head before announcing, "In any case… you should know that your brother will be leaving tomorrow to meet with the high lords. You should stay to see him off tomorrow morning."

"Sure, sure," Sora replied distractedly while devouring his food.

Ansem eyed him with disgust for a while before turning and looking at Naminé and Roxas instead. He smiled in a somewhat perverted way. "You and princess Naminé should share an intimate moment before his departure tomorrow."

Roxas and Naminé blushed embarrassedly as Sora suddenly stopped eating and gawked at them. "Huh? Don't tell me they've already gone that far, they're not even married yet!" He paused uncertainly. "Are they…?"

"No they are not, not yet," Ansem answered with a tired sigh. "And why are you worked up about it?" He raised a suspicious eyebrow. "You sound competitive."

"If you want to get screwed so badly, then just bang a mistress or something," Tifa teased playfully from across the table.

"I don't think he is the type to screw around. He's the type to _get_ screwed. He's so screwable," Axel retorted.

_Silence_. They all looked at him suspiciously, even Sora.

"Hey I'm not gay! I was just curious once, didn't work out for me. I like'em boobs…" He looked at Tifa and winked.

She glared at him grimly. "Stare at my boobs a second longer and I'll give you one good punch that'll make your guts come out your mouth."

"You say the sweetest things…" Axel smirked.

"I think I know the real reason why Sora is always out of the kingdom!" Demyx exclaimed suddenly with an evil grin.

"What?" Sora frowned at him. "You think I can go out to play around with girls? I am far too mature for that!"

Everyone rolled their eyes. Except for Naminé, she hid a giggle.

"It has to be someone you love?" She asked as casually as possible, blushing shyly.

"Huh? Yeah," Sora replied, turning to face her swiftly.

"I feel the same way too…"

"Then why do you not look for this love?" Ansem asked wearily. "You have a handsome face and, ahem, _some_ few admirable traits… You speak of something and never do it, lazy bum. You never give the princesses a chance!"

"That's because they're all boring and uninteresting…" Sora pouted while resting his cheek on his hand, a tedious look on his face. "Besides, you don't look for love, it finds you."

_Silence._

"I can't believe Sora, of all people, just said something poetic…" Demyx said, stunned like the rest of them.

"In that case, you'll remain a bachelor forever," Ansem shrugged. "You are hard to find, hard to approach and hard to comprehend. Oh and hard to tolerate. Even Prince Roxas is easier to handle than you."

"Hey what's that supposed to mean?" Roxas glared at the older man.

"Pft! I am well liked you know, even the old man back at the town wanted me for Nina, his daughter!" Sora retorted abruptly with a pout, almost spitting out food in the process.

Naminé also remembered that she was five, but didn't mention it, giggling secretly to herself.

Ansem raised an eyebrow at him suspiciously. "Why are you suddenly competitive with your brother? You weren't like this before."

"And it isn't like him to show his face often," Demyx pointed out randomly.

"That's true… Usually Prince Sora disappears for more than a month, almost a whole year…" Squall remarked quietly, finally speaking.

"He ran out of money," Ansem shrugged. "Maybe we should give him more next time…"

"You shouldn't give him anything; he needs to learn to settle down remember?" Roxas rolled his eyes.

"Nah, it's okay!" Sora replied with a mouthful. "I'm looking for a part-time job at the town!"

"You are weirdest prince I have ever met…" Marluxia remarked quietly.

_Next day morning, at the castle entrance…_

Sora was yawning as he came down the stairs to see Roxas off at the entrance hall. He blinked in surprise when he saw Ansem, Marluxia, Naminé and Queen Elena present, except Roxas.

"Huh? Where's Roxas?"

Ansem and Marluxia looked at him tiredly. "He has already left," Ansem told him. "You were late and just missed him, as expected."

Sora pouted. "I even woke myself early to see him off…" He grumbled to himself, making Naminé chuckle.

Sora watched her, amused, and then stepped closer and pinched her cheek playfully, causing her to tense and freeze. "Why are you laughing Bro's wife?" He grinned mischievously at her.

"Keep your hands off Her Highness!" Marluxia frowned at him.

"Why do you always get touchy with the Princess?" Ansem scolded him, pulling a blushing Naminé away from him.

"I was just messin' around with my sis-in-law, sheesh!" Sora pouted childishly.

Meanwhile, Queen Elena watched them quietly, then shook her head and left silently.

_Later, early afternoon…_

Today, for Naminé, was full of Sora, which was definitely unusual.

Sora showed up at her room suddenly.

He busted into her room as she was busy drawing on her sketchbook at her desk, a huge grin on his face.

"Hey Bro's wife!" He waved at her, excited, before announcing randomly, "Let's go fishing!"

Naminé stood up abruptly, not believing her eyes. She blinked at him rapidly before asking incredulously, "Me? You're asking _me_?"

"Yup," he grinned wider, if possible. "How many wives does my brother have?"

"Um… none?" She muttered under her breath, giggling softly. "We're not married yet."

Suddenly, she remembered her first kiss with Roxas yesterday and felt a sudden pain in her chest. She stared at the floor, as if she was ashamed, as if she had betrayed Sora…

_'Silly,'_ she told herself mentally. _'Sora and I… there's nothing between us… we're just brother and sister in law, just like he said… But still…'_ She clutched her chest. _'I still love him… A__**lot**__,'_she concluded with a helpless sigh.

Meanwhile, Sora was watching her with interest. "Bro's wife… You okay?" He asked slowly while raising an eyebrow.

She broke out of her trance abruptly. "Su-Sure! I-I'd love to!" She said quickly, grinning.

She couldn't believe this was happening to her. One month without Sora, and now he suddenly showed up. And he came to_ her_. Yup, HE came _TO_ HER. And asked _her_ to come with _him_. To _fish_!

It's going to be romantic, she thought giddily.

-o-O-o-

Waiting for them outside the castle gate was none other than Princess Kairi.

"E-Eh? K-Kairi?" Naminé blinked at her with surprise.

"Oh, yeah," Sora said casually, stopping next to her and grinning that trade-mark idiotic grin of his. "I forgot to mention that Kairi's coming with us! It's going to be fun!"

Kairi smiled at Naminé friendly. "Hiya Nami!"

Naminé managed to smile back somehow.

_'Bye bye romantic date…'_

-o-O-o-

During their little fishing trip at the lake, Sora and Kairi got along great. Laughing and teasing each other. Kairi was a pro at fishing, too. Naminé had learned that she had gone fishing with Sora a lot of times before. So mostly, it was Sora and Kairi fishing and Naminé just watching. Sora, for some reason, hadn't given Naminé the attention she craved during the whole time.

Naminé couldn't get any more miserable.

She was sitting by herself under a tree and watching the two interact silently – and jealously.

"Hey! Sora!" Kairi yelled at the brunette as he's picking up a snail. "Drop that snail!"

"Why?" Sora looked at her dumbly, not wanting to part with the snail.

"Remember when we were kids?" She turned to Naminé swiftly to tell her about one of Sora's childish escapades. "When we were kids, he caught two snails, one big and one small. Do you know what he did with them?"

Naminé shook her head emotionlessly.

"He took both snails out of their shells. Then he put the small snail in the bigger snail's shell. And then of course, the bigger snail… he didn't fit into the smaller snail's shell. You won't _believe_ what Sora did then!"

Sora hung his head low shamefully, hiding a sheepish grin. Naminé was listening, but she was in a very bad mood. So she remained silent and waited for Kairi to continue telling yet another of her endless adventures and tales with Sora.

"He started ripping off parts of the bigger snail so he'd fit into the smaller snail's shell!" Kairi revealed dramatically. "He's a _murderer_!"

A giggle escaped Naminé.

"I was a KID then!" Sora tried to defend himself, pouting childishly.

"That poor snail…" Kairi shook her head sympathetically.

"You don't like snails," Sora pointed out bluntly.

"But it's a living creature with _feelings_! You hurt him!"

"I was a _KID_!"

Namine frowned to herself suddenly as she watched them argue in front of her. They looked so good together. Kairi knew a lot more about Sora than her… She wondered if Sora opened up to the red-head about his thoughts, his feelings…

His heart…

She couldn't watch this anymore.

-o-O-o-

_Evening…_

Finally, they were heading back to the castle. Sora had stayed behind though, telling the girls to go on before him.

As they were entering the castle, Kairi suddenly turned to Naminé excitedly.

"Naminé, let's bake!" She announced randomly with a playful giggle.

"A-Alright…" Naminé replied uncertainly.

Next thing she knew, she was in the castle kitchen, pulling out freshly baked cookies out of the oven.

Kairi sniffed at them and sighed heavenly. "Mmm! They smell soo _goood_…"

Naminé nodded, smiling widely. It was the first time she had cooked something. It was the first time she got inside a kitchen, even!

"I'm glad I succeeded at my first try," Naminé said happily. "You're a good instructor, Kairi."

Kairi giggled. "No problem!" And then, smiling mischievously, she asked, "Soo… those are for Roxas, right?"

"But Roxas isn't here…"

"Oh," and then, suddenly, an evil grin covered her face. "I know! Let's give them to Ansem!"

"Lord Ansem? Why him?" Naminé questioned confusedly.

"But first… we'll have to add a few more ingredients! Hehehe…"

Naminé watched her add vinegar, pepper and other random ingredients, and giggled, shaking her head. _'Poor Lord Ansem…'_

-o-O-o-

_Outside Ansem's Office_

"Pay back time Ans!" Kairi cackled like a witch before knocking at Ansem's door and entering with Naminé behind her. Naminé noticed that a lot of Kairi's behaviors remind her of Sora. He was a very influential person, she noted.

"Ah, Princess Kairi. Princess Naminé. Do come in!" Ansem smiled brightly. "Glad you decided to drop by!"

Kairi smiled angelically. "Ta-da! We've brought you cookies!" She held up the box of cookies by her face.

Ansem beamed. "How nice of you! I am truly touched! Such fine young ladies!" He took the box of cookies and quickly opened it.

Kairi glanced at Naminé sideways and winked. Naminé smiled and shook her head again.

Ansem put the cookie into his mouth, chewed on it, froze, and then quickly spat it out. Then he stuck out his tongue like a dog.

Kairi and Naminé burst out giggling.

Ansem coughed and started cursing at them unintelligibly. Kairi and Naminé quickly sneaked out of the room and close the door behind them.

They heard him yell, "It is probably Princess Kairi's influence! Princess Namine would never do such an inappropriate thing!"

They burst out laughing outside again, with Kairi leaning on Naminé's side.

-o-O-O-

Later, Naminé was saying goodbye to Kairi near the castle gate. It was late and she was going back to her Kingdom. Before entering her carriage, she'd kept complaining about Sora's long disappearance and how she never had the chance to give him some of the cookies she'd made.

Naminé smiled politely as she listened to her rant.

Then, after saying goodbye to Kairi and watching her off, Naminé returned to her room to rest…

-o-O-o-

_Inside Naminé's room_

Naminé was sitting on her bed with the box of cookies she'd spared on her lap, thinking deeply.

_'Should I… give those to Sora? Or wait for Roxas to come back? If I were to give it to Sora, I should it now. Who knows when and how long he'll disappear again…'_

Closing her eyes, she listened to her heart…

Abruptly, she got up and ran out of the door.

-o-O-o-

_The Lake, Sora's secret hideout_

Naminé found Sora fishing by himself at the lake, his back to her. As she was stepping closer to him, he finally sensed her presence and turned around.

"Bro's wife… What are you doing here?" He asked curiously. Then, jokingly he added, "You're not going to tackle me with a hug this time too, are you?"

"Umm…" She began timidly, pushing the cookie box in front of her. "I-I baked a couple of cookies with K-Kairi earlier, and there was some l-left so I… Umm… thought you might want some…"

"Oh… they're for me?" Sora asked with surprise, taking the box and staring at it awkwardly.

_Awkward silence._

"Hey, Bro's wife…" Sora broke the silence suddenly; his voice was serious and quiet, making Naminé feel even more nervous. He looked up at her and asked casually, "Why do you always chase after me?"

Another long, awkward silence follows. Naminé silently pondered over confessing her overwhelming feelings or not.

Sora stood up and waited, staring at the cookie box in his hands in silence.

"Um… I… umm…" She played with a strand of her hair nervously, flushed.

"You know the truth about me, don't you?" Sora muttered, looking at her seriously. "I'm not royalty; I'm not one of you 'pure bloods'…"

"I know…" She answered feebly.

"Then why? Why me? Roxas likes you a lot."

"I know…"

"He's the rightful heir to the throne. He's the one you're engaged to."

"I know."

"Then it's enough right?" He walked a few steps past her before announcing quietly, "Let's not see each other anymore."

"What?" She turned back to face him, wide-eyed in horror.

"I don't want you looking for me anymore," he continued quietly, his back to her. "The others are gonna misunderstand and that'd cause a big problem for my brother."

She stood there, speechless. Was she getting rejected before actually confessing…?

"You don't want my brother to get in trouble do you?" Sora asked suddenly. "You, you love my brother don't you? I've watched you—"

Without realizing, she was shaking her head. "No, tha-that's wrong… I-I…" Determined, she looked up and blurted out firmly, "The one I truly love is—"

Hastily, Sora took another two steps forward. "It's late; let's go back to the cas—"

"…_you_!"

He froze abruptly, his back to her still.

"The one I truly love is _you_..." She repeated softly this time, smiling and feeling inwardly proud of herself for finally getting it off her chest.

_Tense silence._ Naminé was waiting anxiously for his reaction, and more importantly, his answer. Her heartbeat was increasing rapidly by each passing moment.

"Sorry," he blurted out suddenly.

Crestfallen, Naminé frowned instantly.

"I don't…" He looked at his feet sadly, unable to continue.

She stood there, heartbroken. When he didn't continue, she asked chokingly, "Wh-What were you about to s-say?"

Sora looked further down – avoiding facing her completely. He swallowed nervously before answering, "You… You're like a sister to me."

Naminé blinked back her tears. "Look at me!" She demanded in a broken and slightly angry tone. "Look at me and tell me that you don't have any feelings for me."

"Go back to the castle before the others start suspecting something," he told her in a rush.

"Look at me," she insisted stubbornly. "I won't go until you look at me!"

Reluctantly, he turned and looked at her but then quickly looked away when their eyes met.

"You're lying…" Naminé said softly. "You always look away when you're not saying the truth!" She added triumphantly.

"That's enough princess!" Sora snapped at her abruptly. "You should know better that it's impossible to be with me..."

"I don't care!" She cried, her tears coming down freely now. "For once, I want to have what I want! For once, I want to think about my own happiness instead of my family's!" Tenderly, she added, "And I'm most happy when I'm with you…"

_Silence_. Sora watched her cry silently with a pained expression.

"I'm sorry, Naminé…" He said gently all of a sudden. "But I don't love you…" He looked at her bitterly. "…that way."

"You're lying! I can see it all over your face!" She yelled through her sobs.

He closed his eyes patiently. Then he opened them again and looked at her straight in the eyes. "I'm not. You're like a sister to me, that's all," he insisted.

As Naminé tried to wipe off the tears coming down her face, Sora told her sympathetically, "Go back to the castle. Ans and the rest are probably looking for you…"

Without another word, she turned around swiftly and ran off, fresh tears coming down her face as she dashed through the garden, back to the castle, and all the way up to her room.

Some servants and guards must have noticed her, but she didn't care right now. She didn't care about anything at all. She felt numb. She closes her door behind her and leaned on it. Slowly, she slumped down, crying and sobbing uncontrollably...

-o-O-o-

Sitting by himself near the lake shore, Sora threw himself back and watched the moon gloomily.

_'I'm sorry, Naminé…'_ He sighed heavily at the sky.

A few minutes later, Ansem showed up walking toward the lake shore. "Ah, there you are!" He exclaimed.

Sora continued gazing up at the sky soberly. He was in one of his serious, thoughtful moods, Ansem noted. _'Perfect.'_

"I heard that you have gone fishing with Princess Kairi and Princess Naminé earlier," Ansem stated out loud.

"Yeah," Sora replied distractedly. "I promised I'd take her fishing with me before… You were there, so you should know who I'm talking about."

"Ah, yes…" Ansem responded quickly, nodding.

And then, sitting upright and turning around, he gave Ansem a suspicious look. "Is something wrong?"

"No, I was merely curious."

Sora narrowed his eyes at him. "You were looking for me weren't you? Why? You must have a reason…"

"All right, I concede…" Ansem suppressed a growing smile. "I am here for a reason."

Sora sighed and turned back to face the lake. "If you're going to ask me to go away…"

"No, I just want to… confirm a few matters with you," Ansem explained calmly.

"What?" Sora asked impatiently.

Ansem took a few steps forward to stand beside him then stopped and looked down at the brunette grimly. "Princess Namine…" He began quietly, earning the prince's well-concealed attention. "Do you, perhaps… love her?"

"…" Sora stared back at him blankly for a while, and then shook his head incredulously, looking back to the lake. "The Council is still worried about that?" He chuckled dryly.

"You must understand how severe our situation is since his Majesty's death!" Ansem explained gravely. "The marriage between your brother and the princess is not only essential for this Kingdom to prosper, but also important for Prince Roxas to be able to take the throne and succeed his father. We cannot make do longer without a King!"

Sora was silent the whole while, listening.

"You have not answered my question," Ansem pointed out with a raised eyebrow after a moment of silence.

"Naminé is just a good friend," Sora told him softly while gazing at the lake.

Ansem nodded – satisfied with the answer – and then turned to look at the lake, too. "Sometimes you must hurt people in order to do what is best for them," he told Sora sagely. "Exactly like how your father did in order to bring you here," Smiling down at the brunette, Ansem continued, "Now look at you! You wounded up better than you would have had if he had left you with your mother!"

With a painful look, Sora hung his head a bit lower and mumbled softly, "I wonder…"

"Oh! It is time for me to return," Ansem stated out loud all of a sudden, rushing to leave. But then he stopped shortly, and turned back to Sora. "Can we trust you?" He asked, referring to the Council and himself.

Sora nodded, giving him a quick grin.

Ansem smiled back, relieved. "Suddenly, you have started behaving! I am most proud of you!"

Chuckling softly despite of his glum mood, Sora turned to gaze at the lake as Ansem turned back and left the scene.

A serene silence filled the air.

_"Sometimes you must hurt people in order to do what is best for them."_

The brunette frowned down at the space between his legs. "I'm so sorry…"

-o-O-o-


	8. Of Love & Indifference

Chapter 8: _Of Love & Indifference_

_Two days later, early morning, Princess Naminé's chamber_

"Princess, you haven't eaten your breakfast yet have you?" Selphie – standing beside the bed the blonde princess was lying on – asked sympathetically.

"I'm not hungry..." Naminé mumbled softly, facing the other direction.

Selphie sighed. "Are you still depressed over the whole rejection thing?"

"…" Naminé then suddenly turned around to face her personal maid. "I have a feeling that he is…"

"…Not telling the truth?" Selphie finished for her, moving to sit on the edge of her bed. "I think so too."

Naminé blinked at her, surprised. "You do?"

Selphie nodded seriously. "Since you came here, he's started to change... we're seeing him around much more often, that's for one, even when Ansem and the council tell him to stay away… So I think it's very possible that…" She looked at Naminé and winked. "…Maybe he likes you too, but he's scared."

"Scared?"

"Yeah…. It's understandable. Since you're his brother's fiancée and all."

Naminé frowned to herself, looking up at the ceiling. "I want to talk to him…." She mumbled desperately. "I need to confirm it... I have a strong feeling in my heart telling me that he wasn't saying the truth…."

"What are you waiting for then?" Selphie urged her. "If you want to so badly, then just go and talk to him! I heard from the other servants that they haven't seen Prince Sora leave the castle. So he must be hiding somewhere inside!"

"Yes… he's been hiding, alright. From _me_," she pouted.

"You know, I heard that Prince Roxas is coming back the day after tomorrow," Selphie informed the blonde all of a sudden. "And you can't let him see you like this!"

"I don't care anymore…." Naminé replied hollowly.

"Geez…. Come on princess! You have to pull yourself together already!"

Naminé turned to lie on her stomach and buried her face into the pillow, sighing heavily.

Selphie shook her head, sighing tiredly. "Look at you, always thinking about your fiancé's brother. Don't you feel guilty at all?"

_Silence._

"You know, I've just discovered that you suffer from a one-track mind," Selphie told her jokingly.

"Don't all the girls who fall in love for the first time suffer from that too?" Naminé retorted, looking up.

Selphie shook her head again, laughing. "You're more romantic than I am!"

-o-O-o-

_Later, castle hallway_

After she'd finished eating lunch, under Selphie's pressure, Naminé was left with nothing to do and became bored, so she decided to pay the library a visit…

"Here," Olette said while putting a book at the table in front of Naminé. "This is my absolute favorite romantic novel!"

Naminé lifted up the book and blinked at its front-cover curiously. "Pride and Prejudice?"

"You have never read it?" Olette asked with disbelief, sitting on the chair opposite of the princess.

Namine shook her head. "No… I don't read much, honestly. During my limited free-time, I draw or play the piano…"

"I see," Olette smiled. "Then remind me to give you another book before you leave. I have just finished reading it, and it is _ah_-mazing!"

Naminé smiled back a little at the brunette's enthusiasm. But then, suddenly, Olette stopped and began studying Naminé's expression carefully.

"How are you?" Olette asked softly with concern. "You don't look very good…"

"What?" Naminé mumbled softly, startled. "Is there something on my face…?" She questioned, touching her cheek.

"No, you just seem very… sad," Olette replied softly, examining her. "Is everything alright?"

"I'm fine," Naminé told her quickly, forcing out a smile. "Just a little tired is all."

"I see," Olette said before looking at her mischievously all of a sudden. "Um… Princess… Can I ask you how you and…" She paused, looking away embarrassedly. "…Roxas are doing?"

Naminé suddenly felt nervous, and placed the book down on the table. "W-We're doing well."

"Have you two gotten used to each other yet?"

"What do you mean?" Naminé blinked at her innocently.

"Your relationship," Olette said eagerly. "How far is it?"

Naminé looked down at her lap and began fidgeting with her dress. "Um… Umm…"

Suddenly, Olette leaned back and smiled sheepishly. "I'm sorry! That was too forward, did I startle you?"

Naminé shook her head quickly. "No, it's alright. Um…" She looked down again timidly. "We're… We're good friends."

"Just friends? Are you serious?" Olette blinked at the blonde, surprised. "You are getting married to each other soon, aren't you?"

Naminé smiled awkwardly, speechless.

Olette looked at her solemnly all of a sudden. "Listen to me. Roxas… He loves you," She stated softly. "But what about you? Do you love him?"

Naminé opened her mouth to say, "He's only a good friend to me," but decided against it and closed it again. That would only cause suspicion and later problems, she was better off lying. Telling them all what they wanted to hear.

"I-I… do," she replied reluctantly with her eyes downcast, nodding a bit. "Love… him," '_in a friendly sort of way...' _She added in her head.

Olette studied her carefully, apparently not convinced. The blonde fidgeted in her seat under the brunette girl's analytical stare.

"What about _you_, Olette?" Naminé countered suddenly, changing the topic. "How are things with the person you like?"

"H-Huh?" Olette cringed a bit, startled.

"That time, after the princes' birthday party… while playing Truth or Dare… Selphie asked you if you like someone, and I remember you saying yes," Namine reminded her calmly, glad that the tables had turned now and Olette was the one being grilled. "Who is it? Someone I know?"

Olette looked even more nervous. Suddenly, Naminé started worrying that perhaps the person she liked was Sora. But then she quickly shook off the thought off her mind, feeling silly.

"Eh? Prince Sora?" Olette muttered in surprise all of a sudden, looking past the princess.

Namine's eyes widened in shock and she turned her head around swiftly. And there he was a few meters away from the exit, frozen on his spot, one leg hanging in midair.

"What are you sneaking around for?" Olette questioned confusedly. "And why are you in my library? I remember you saying you loathe this place…"

Slowly, Sora relaxed and turned around to face them.

"I'm…" He began explaining as calmly as possible, staring at the ceiling for some reason. "Hiding from Squall, he wants to drag me to spar with him and Cloud."

Olette shook her head tiredly and turned back to the blonde, not bothering with Prince Sora's eccentricity, used to it. Meanwhile, Sora seized this opportunity to escape.

Suddenly, Naminé stood up and took a step after the brunette. "Wait, Sora!"

A startled Sora stopped abruptly, lost balance, tripped, and clumsily crashed into the bookcase to his right. The bookcase started shaking alarmingly, threatening to fall backwards.

Olette stood up abruptly, horrified. "What do you think you're doing?"

"Stay…. Stay!" Sora told the bookcase, panicking. And then, uselessly, he tried to pull it back to its spot. Unfortunately, the bookcase took him down with it instead and it crashed back to the floor with the brunette on top.

Sora sat upright and met the furious face of Olette, crossing her arms in front of her and narrowing her eyes at him dangerously.

"It was an accident," Sora mumbled, grinning weakly. "An accident!"

The other bookcases behind him started falling down one by one like domino pieces. He froze, listening to the sound of each bookcase as it fell and wincing at every time.

When it was over, he looked up reluctantly at Olette's extremely furious face and grinned sheepishly. "Oops?"

"Your highness," Olette said slowly in a controlled voice that was threateningly low. "Can you… please… _leave_… now?"

Sora noticed the twitching, creepy smile she was forcing out and gulped nervously. "Y-Yeah, sure…"

He got up, dusted himself and turned to flee as Olette kneeled down near the mess.

Namine became alarmed and instinctively took two steps toward him. "Um…!"

Sora whooshed close by Naminé without even looking at her. She watched him leave, hurt. _'He acted like I wasn't there…' _Suddenly, she realized something and froze in shock.

_"Roxas loves you. But what about you? Do you love him?"_

_"I-I… do. Love… him."_

_'Has Sora been hiding here the whole time? If so… then… he might have heard me tell Olette…'_ Her eyes widened dreadfully. _'Oh no… '_ She buried her face in her hands and started mentally blaming herself and her big mouth.

Olette let out a sigh all of a sudden, standing up. "I'll have to tell Hayner and Pence to help me set these back up."

"H…h….help…."

Namine and Olette tensed, alarmed. The creepy, moaning voice was coming from under the fallen bookcase near them.

"Lord Zexion…?" Olette questioned suddenly, taking a step forward. "Is that you?"

The voice moaned painfully.

"Oh my God!" Olette gasped. "Hang in there, my lord! I'm going to call Hayner and Pence for help!"

_Later…_

After Olette had called Hayner and Pence and they'd helped pull out Zexion from under the bookcase, Namine edged closer to Olette and whispered to her curiously, "Who is he?" as she was examining the silver-head dusting himself while scowling irritatedly.

"He's the second youngest son of one of the strongest dukes in the land, Lord Sephiroth," Olette whisperd back. "Lord Riku's brother."

Namine blinked in surprise. "Lord Riku? Isn't that..."

"Yes," Olette smiled. "Prince Sora's best friend."

Sitting upright, Zexion gritted his teeth and clenched his fists tightly. "That… _Peasant!_" He hissed quietly to himself – but Naminé heard him – seething with anger. "How dare he humiliate me like this?"

Namine's eyes widened. _'He knows about Sora? Can't be… I thought no one but the Queen and the council know the truth!'_

"Why…" She mumbled sadly to herself, frowning. "Why did he have to call him that…"

Olette heard her and explained casually, "Almost everyone in the castle calls him that when he behaves 'ungentlemanly'. It's only a nickname…. That fits him very well if I have to say so myself!" She giggled quietly.

Namine hung her head lower, frowning deeper. _'Olette doesn't know…. But somehow, Zexion does, the way he said it…. He might have heard from Riku.'_

"Are you okay, my lord?" Pence asked the silver-head worriedly, attempting to help him stand up.

Zexion brushed off Pence's arm roughly. "Don't touch me, lowlife!" He snapped at him irritatedly.

Hayner growled angrily under his breath at the way Zexion had treated his friend, trying hard to control his temper, his fist shaking at his side.

"Calm down Hayner," Olette, the pacifier, stepped in and put a calming hand on her friend's shoulder, smiling weakly. "You should have gotten used to lord Zexion's stuck-up attitude by now," she whispered at him softly.

Naminé, being next to Olette, had heard this and frowned even deeper, if possible. She felt ashamed to be part of those so-called 'royalties'.

Zexion suddenly looked up at Olette and gazed down at the floor awkwardly. Then he coughed into his fist. "Please forgive me for causing an unnecessary racket in your library," he told Olette softly.

Everyone raised their eyebrows, intrigued by his sudden change of attitude. Meanwhile, Olette smiled awkwardly and pushed her hands in front of her in a dismissive manner. "I-It's alright, my lord…"

Elegantly, Zexion bid his farewells to Olette and Princess Naminé only and left the library. Everyone watched him walk out, blinking dubiously.

"What's that all about?" Hayner asked irritatedly once Zexion was out of ear-shot.

"It seems the young lord has a soft spot for you Olette," Pence told her with a mischievous smile.

Olette looked upwards thoughtfully. "Come to think of it, he's been a frequent visitor to the library…."

"I don't approve," Hayner said out loud suddenly, crossing his arms in front of him. "You're better off with someone else Olette. Even if he's royalty, his attitude just pisses me off!"

Olette giggled nervously at her two friends. "Why are you two trying so hard to set me up with someone?"

Hayner and Pence turned to look at her seriously.

"You have no relatives to take care of you," Pence stated calmly.

"We promised ourselves that we'd look after you," Hayner addsed softly. "It's our responsibility to make sure that you spend the rest of your life with someone dependable who can take care of you!"

Olette stared at the two softly for a while, deeply touched. "Thank you, you two…." She smiled gratefully at them. "But it'll be a tough job for you to find someone who'd like me. As you can see, I'm very plain-looking and boring!" She stuck out her tongue sheepishly.

"What are you talking about? You're nice and smart…" Hayner said, trying to come up with new plausible qualities.

"And you know how to cook!" Pence added quickly for him.

Olette giggled, rolling her eyes. "Hey, shouldn't you two be doing your jobs?" She reminded them suddenly, putting her hands on her hips and staring at them with a raised eyebrow.

Hayner and Pence panicked. "Hey, you're right!" They exclaimed at the same time, almost bumping into each other while turning to hurry to leave.

"Lord Ansem is sooo gonna kill us for slacking off!" Pence whined to his partner as they were scurrying off.

Olette watched them go with a smile, shaking her head.

"Olette… You are an orphan?" Naminé asked the brunette gently all of a sudden, after the other two had left.

Turning around, Olette nodded. "Yes…Both my parents died when I was a child," she told her calmly.

"How come you don't have any relatives to take care of you?"

"I probably do," Olette replied, shrugging a bit. "But I don't know them."

When Naminé looked at her questioningly, Olette continued, "My parents… they really loved each other. They told me they eloped and got married secretly because their families didn't approve of their marriage. Then they came all the way here from their hometown – which they never told me where – and started working in this castle for a living. My father worked as a chef here, and my mother…. My mother was the previous librarian of this place….Then they had me and," She paused before continuing again, looking at the floor. "And shortly after, the plague came, and my father passed away when I was six….my mother died afterwards from depression."

"I'm sorry," Naminé said instantly, frowning sympathetically at the brunette girl.

"Since then, my friends and a lot of the people in this castle started taking care of me," Olette told her, smiling warmly. "The King let me work in this place and… with my friends' help… Hayner, Pence and… Roxas… Prince Roxas," she corrected herself hastily. "…I was able to move on."

"And the person you like?" Naminé asked eagerly, smiling at her. "Was he one of them?"

"The person I like…?" Olette repeated slowly before breaking into a bitter smile. "Yeah. He was one of the first to reach out his hand to me."

Naminé listened, waiting for her to continue curiously.

Smiling bitterly, Olette began, "The first time we officially met was at my mother's death-bed…."

**Flashback**

Inside one of the rooms, two servants were murmuring to each other as they watched a child Olette sitting on the floor near her dead mother's bed, hugging her knees closer to her chest and crying loudly.

"That poor child… First her father, now her mother…"

"Such a pitiful thing…"

Little Hayner and Pence entered the room swiftly, squeezing themselves past the two servants and then stopping to eye Olette sadly.

"Oy!" One of the servants exclaimed, pushing them out of the room. "Go play somewhere else kids!"

With their heads hanging low, they walked away dejectedly, feeling sad for their little friend.

The two servants continued standing by the door, guarding it until a doctor or an official figure would arrive to deal with the situation and the body of Olette's mom, silently and sympathetically watching the young girl cry beside her mother's bed.

Shortly after, a small boy around Olette's age stepped in, passing by the two servants confidently.

"Your Highness!" One of the servants exclaimed, looking down at the young child confusedly, not knowing whether to let him or not.

"Let him," the other servant told him firmly.

The little boy walked in, looking around him curiously. His eyes then fell on Olette's small weeping figure, and his eyes widened slightly in interest. He moved toward her, then kneeled down just in front of her and started studying her face for the longest time, silently and blankly.

Later, Olette suddenly stopped crying, looked up at the boy and sniffed before asking him between sobs, "Wh-Why are… y-you… wa-watching m-me?"

"You look prettier when you're crying. Before I thought you looked plain and boring," he told her bluntly.

Olette sniffed again before bursting into a new fit of tears.

The little boy stood up and looked at her mother, lying lifelessly with her eyes closed on the bed. "Is that your mother?"

Olette nodded while crying.

He smiled. "She looks very pretty…"

Olette sniffed yet again and stared up at him dumbly, silent tears coming down her face. She held up a hand and began trying uselessly to wipe off the seemingly perpetual stream of tears.

Suddenly, a third servant entered the room. "Young master!" He called at the young boy. "Your tutor is waiting for you at the classroom!"

The boy let out a miserable sigh. "I'm coming…" He mumbled under his breath, walking as slowly as he could to the door.

"W-Wait…" Olette called after him in a weak, broken voice that the boy somehow was able to hear. "Y-Your… na-name…"

The little boy turned around, surprised. "You don't know my name? Strange... Everyone in the castle knows my name…."

Abruptly, he broke into a soft grin. Olette stopped, one hand a few centimeters away from her eye, and gaped at him, mesmerized.

"My name is..." And then, smiling at her warmly, he added, "Let's see each other tomorrow!"

**End of Flashback**

"Who is it?" Naminé asked eagerly after hearing the story. "Why are you purposely being ambiguous about him?" She pouted cutely. "Is it someone I know?"

"W-Well…." Olette began nervously, avoiding eye-contact. "I can't tell you."

"Why?"

"Sometimes…It's best to keep your feelings a secret. Especially when… they might hurt people…."

Namine stopped abruptly, something about what Olette had just said was making her think of Sora, for some reason.

"The person I like…. He…. He is of a higher status… a royalty. I have liked him for… a long time, ever since that moment, I believe. But then, his mother… his family… threatened that if I get any closer to him than I should be, I would lose my job. And my job here… is the only thing I have left. I don't have anyone to fend for me, or a place to live for that matter…." She continued, looking down at the floor sadly the whole while. "And besides, someone….like me… non-royalty… is only a hindrance to a person like… him. He has a future ahead of him…. And I… I have nothing."

"Olette…." Namine whispered, staring at the downcast girl sympathetically. _'It's Roxas…' _Naminé concluded mentally, feeling truly compassionate for the brunette. _'You're too obvious Olette!'_

Olette kneeled down suddenly and started collecting some of the fallen books silently.

Naminé watched her sadly for a while before finally speaking, "That person… Why don't you tell him about your feelings? From what I gathered so far, it seems that he is oblivious to your feelings toward him."

_Silence._

Olette stopped and answered the blonde softly without turning back to look at her, "He's better off not knowing." And then, she added more softly, "It's impossible to be together."

Naminé's eyes widened in sudden recognition.

_"It's impossible to be with me…."_

The blonde frowned miserably to herself after remembering Sora's words. _'Poor Olette….If only we can swap places… then maybe… both of us can be happy.'_

Later, after Olette had finished collecting some of the books scattered beneath her, she stood up and headed toward the nearest table to place them on it.

"You know…" Naminé suddenly said. "Roxas mentions you a lot when we talk…."

Olette was startled. She turned back carefully, "Really? Well, we are friends…." She said quickly, trying to hide her nervousness.

Naminé shook her head calmly, "Mm… He mentions you the most out of Hayner and the rest of his friends. I think you're the closest one to him."

"I-I see," Olette replied sheepishly. And then, turning around again, Naminé barely noted the happy smile spreading on her face as she turned.

She smiled proudly to herself, glad she was able to make Olette feel a little better…

-o-O-o-

_Inside the Queen's chambers_

Queen Elena was sitting by herself on a couch by the fireplace, drinking tea. Calmly, she put the tea cup back on its plate and sighed heavily as she remembered the last day she had talked to her husband…

_"Elena, promise me that you'd take care of Sora, that you'd treat him as your own son—" King Rufus had plead to her on his death-bed._

_"Never! I will never accept that child!" She snapped. And then calmly, she added, "But for you, for you…. I will keep him."_

_"That is all I ask…." He murmured, smiling weakly._

_"But if your son ever interferes with __**my **__son's future…. I will not be as kind!"_

Suddenly, Lord Zexion barged into Queen Elena's office, looking mad as hell. He quickly started telling her about Prince Sora's behavior earlier, and the mess he'd created at the library. The Queen listened to him intently, inwardly sighing with exasperation at Sora's antics.

In no time, Sora was called to the office. Thankfully, the guards were able to find him and bring him here. He'd been found going in circles around the castle, trying to find the dining hall.

Sora entered the office, completely oblivious to what was going on, and saw Zexion talking with the Queen. When Zexion sensed him near, he pulled the brown-haired prince by his collar to him and exploded at his face, "You filthy commoner breed! Did you possibly think that you'd get away with that?"

"What did I do?" Sora yelled back at the silver-head, confused, and then shoved Zexion's hands off.

"Playing dumb are we?" Zexion sneered at him.

"Enough!" The Queen exclaimed suddenly, earning their attention. "I will take care of him now, you can go," she told Zexion firmly.

Zexion complied at once; bowing at the Queen, and then, after flashing Sora a triumphant smirk, he turned around to leave and closed the door behind him.

_Silence._ It was just Sora and the Queen now.

Sora rubbed the back of his head sheepishly at the Queen's intense stare, looking away at nothing in particular.

"You…." She muttered seriously all of a sudden, staring at the brown-haired prince carefully. "I am curious. Do you have hidden feelings for my son's fiancée?"

"No," Sora replied quickly, looking back at her and shrugging casually. "If I do, I wouldn't have waited or listened to you. I always do it my way, since when I listened to you guys!"

"But maybe… for your brother's sake…." The Queen trailed off skeptically, narrowing her eyes at the brunette, studying his reactions carefully.

Sora threw his arms behind his head. "Can I go now?" He asked impatiently after a while.

"Alright," then she added quickly, "And behave yourself. I don't want another person coming in and complaining about you," she told him in conclusion, leaning back on her seat.

Sora nodded quickly and then hurriedly turned around to leave.

-o-O-o-

_Two days later…_

Sora had disappeared again. On the other hand, Prince Roxas returned to his kingdom, but he was disappointed to see that he didn't get any kind of special welcoming from Naminé at all. She seemed pretty gloomy lately, and he had no clue why. He wanted to know, but she wouldn't tell him a thing. The air had been depressingly quiet between them lately.

One day, at their favorite balcony, Roxas decided to bring up the question again…

"Naminé?"

"Mm?" She replied distractedly, busy drawing in her sketchbook.

"You seem very depressed lately… is something wrong?" Roxas asked with concern.

"…" She drew in silence for a while before finally answering calmly, "No. Everything is alright."

"Are you sure?" Roxas pressed, frowning.

"Yes. I'm just a little bored," She told him, putting down her sketchbook and looking back at him with a weak, unconvincing smile.

"Oh…" Roxas mumbled understandingly, thinking. "Then how about we go hunting after my coronation party tomorrow? Will that be fun for you?" He asked hopefully.

"Okay," She replied with another weak smile. "Sounds fun."

"G-Great…" He smiled back awkwardly, getting up from his seat. "I have to go and meet with my mom now. I'll see you later."

She nodded, forcefully keeping the smile on her face so Roxas wouldn't worry.

He stared down at her long and hard before suddenly leaning in to kiss her goodbye. Her reflexes caused her to turn her head away last-minute. Roxas frowned, deeply hurt and leaned back quickly.

"Umm, later…" He mumbled awkwardly before hurriedly turning to walk out the balcony.

As soon as he gave her his back, Naminé winced and cursed herself mentally. '_Stupid! Why did I do that…? He looked very hurt…'_

-o-O-o-

_The day of the Coronation Party, the castle Church_

The day of Roxas' coronation finally came; he was officially going to become the King of the Twilight Kingdom. And when he would come of age and finish his studies, he was going to marry Princess Naminé.

All of Roxas' close family members, Naminé and important nobles were standing on the altar, where Ansem was crowning Roxas.

Except for Namine, she was scanning the place for Sora with her eyes. He wasn't anywhere to be seen. Was he going to miss his brother's Coronation?

Roxas meanwhile, had his eyes on her. He was still feeling deeply hurt about earlier, and also curious on why Naminé looked so distressed. Wasn't she happy for him? It wasn't a big deal for him, but he'd still hoped to see her out of all people smile for him like the rest, at least.

Meanwhile, the Queen was also analyzing Namine's movements. She turned to Ansem beside her and whispered, "She is looking for Sora. Where is he?"

"Are you seriously asking me this Your Majesty? Who knows where that boy could be!" Ansem whispered back.

"He _must_ show up for his brother's coronation party."

"I do not understand, Your Grace… Do you want him around or do you not?"

"…" She ignored his question, smiling instead at a couple of passing gentlemen like nothing is happening, then silently, she whispered to Ansem, "See to it that he gets here."

A bit confused, Ansem bowed reluctantly. "A-As you wish, Your Grace…"

-o-O-o-

At the front row, a group of princesses from some faraway kingdoms sneered up at Naminé.

"Ugh. She's not even smiling at her fiancé's big day. What a bitch," Princess Larxene exclaimed to her group, frowning at Naminé from the distance.

"I like her heels…" One of the bubble-headed princesses mumbled out loud.

"Eww," Larxene retorted. "You have terrible taste!"

When the ritual was over, everyone started descending the altar. Suddenly, on her way down, Naminé almost tripped. She closed her eyes and prepared herself for the embarrassment. But, out of nowhere, a hand caught hers and pulled her back up in no time.

Reluctantly opening her eyes, she met Roxas's deep sapphire ones.

"R-Roxas…" She breathed out in surprise, a sheepish look on her face.

"You're distracted with something aren't you? Be careful…" He told her softly before turning away to go after his mother to meet some nobility.

She watched his back guiltily for a while before quickly making a decision and hurrying after him. She slid an arm around his. He was utterly shocked and turned to stare at her, wide-eyed.

"Shall we go introduce ourselves together?" She asked him softly, smiling.

He smiled back happily, and then nodded. "Yeah…"

Suddenly, the church doors flung open and Sora barged in. Everyone looked back at the intruder alarmingly. He stopped at the entrance and panted heavily.

"I-I'm… I'm not late am I?" He wheezesd out, wiping off sweat from his forehead.

Roxas and all those who knew Sora rolled their eyes at him from the distance while the Queen shook her head at him, frowning with displeasure.

Naminé felt a burst of joy inside of her at the sight of him, and then quickly tried to suppress it, frowning at herself.

Meanwhile, from the audience, Kairi waved at Sora to show him their location. Beside her, Riku rolled his eyes. '_Leave it to Sora to make an epic entrance…_' He thought with a mental sigh.

Sora squeezed himself past some people on his way to get to Kairi and Riku, who frown at him in displeasure.

"You're _late_!" Kairi exclaimed as soon as he got to them, crossing her arms in front of her angrily.

"Sorry," Sora mumbled, grinning sheepishly.

"Where have you been the last few days?" Kairi demanded. Riku stood there silently, staring at Sora while waiting for his answer.

"Oh, uh… I've been going around… the place…" He replied vaguely.

Kairi glared at him threateningly. "_Where_?"

"Here… There… Everywhere!" Sora answered playfully while throwing his arms behind his head and staring at the ceiling innocently.

"Whatever," Kairi rolled her eyes. "I bet you were somewhere doing something stupid, like always…" Her eyes wandered around the place, as if searching for someone.

"Are you looking for someone?" Riku asked her curiously.

"Umm… Have any of you seen Sir Cloud Strife?" Kairi asked timidly.

Sora and Riku exchanged glances. Looking back at her, Sora smirked mischievously. "Why?"

She blushed, fidgeting more. "Um, forget it—"

"Yeah, I saw him just outside the entrance," Sora replied.

"Really?" She exclaimed impulsively.

Sora raised an eyebrow at her teasingly. "Whoa, Kai, you're really serious about this guy?"

"He is about eight years older than you," Riku reminded her calmly with an incredulous look.

"Age is but a number when it comes to true love!"

Sora's eyes almost bulged out. "Whoaa! _True love_? A lot has happened since I've been away it seems huh?" He nudged Riku beside him playfully, who sent him an annoyed glare instead.

"Your father wants you to marry a prince," Riku reminded her again indifferently.

Kairi pouted at them. "Why are you two so discouraging?" She huffed. "You depress me!" She said before turning around and marching off sulkily.

"She's probably going to look for him," Sora said out loud, watching Kairi from the distance. Riku snorted at his side.

_At the other side of the Church_

"Hey, Roxy! Congratulations man!" Axel and Demyx congratulated their friend, grinning.

"I mean… King!" Demyx said uncertainly, and then winced, a deeply thoughtful expression on his face.

"He's thinking about this too hard…" Axel explained to the crowd, rolling his eyes.

"I got it! Man-King!" Demyx exclaimd to Roxas' face all of a sudden, who smiled awkwardly in return. "You're the Man-King!... Or King-Man… Or, uhmm…"

Everyone exchanged odd looks as Axel dragged Demyx away with him. "Please excuse my lame friend here, ladies and gentlemen…" He turned to Demyx irritatedly and hissed, "Come _on_, bird-brain!"

"Wh-where are we going?" Demyx questioned dumbly as he was being dragged away. "Are we going to meet some hot princesses?"

"Man, you're hopeless…" The red-head shook his head.

Hayner, Olette and Pence came next, they were on duty, but they were never going to miss the opportunity to congratulate their best friend in his big day.

"Congrats man!" Hayner pated him roughly on the shoulder. "I mean, _Your Majesty_…" He winked playfully.

"You look really cool today, with that crown…" Pence added. "Can you tell him to let me wear it someday?" He asked Namine, who smiled back weakly.

Hayner punched him on the arm. "What are you talkin'? He can't do that! He'd get into trouble if he did!"

"I was just kidding!" Pence smiledweakly, rubbing his arm. They laughed out loud.

Then Roxas's and Naminé's attention turned to Olette. She smiled at him brightly. "Congratulations Roxas…" Hayner sent her a look. She panicked. "O-Oops I mean _Your Majesty_!" They chuckled.

"I'm really happy for you..." Olette added softly, causing Naminé to smile as she remembered Roxas's place in Olette's heart.

"Thanks guys," Roxas smiled at them appreciatively. "You better get back to work or you'll get in trouble!" He reminded them.

They quickly scurried off to different directions, causing Roxas and Naminé to chuckle again.

"Everything is going splendid so far," Ansem reported to the Queen, standing nearby.

"Good to hear," The Queen smiled in satisfaction and then got back to mingling with the guests.

-o-O-o-

_Back to Sora and Riku_

"When are they gonna open the buffet? I'm getting HUNGRY…" Sora whined, rubbing his rumbling belly.

Suddenly, a tall long-haired man approached them stealthily. By his side, was Zexion with a snobbish expression on his face.

Riku stiffened, frowning instantly.

"Good to see you brother," Zexion sneered at Riku.

"Unfortunately, I can't say the same," Riku retorted. Sora snickered, earning a death glare from Zexion.

"Where are your manners Riku? When are you planning to introduce me to your long-time _friend_?" The tall man said.

"…." Riku turned to look up blankly at the older man.

"Aren't you going to reply to Father?" Zexion glared at Riku darkly.

"Father?" Sora exclaimed in disbelief, stepping back in surprise and then pointing at the taller man. "So he's you dad?" He turned back to said taller man swiftly. "You're his papa?"

"Yes," The long-haired man replied confidently, smirking. "I am his papa."

"So this is Duke Sephiroth…" Sora muttered thoughtfully.

"Oh? So you have heard of me?" Sephiroth blinked in mild surprise, smirking.

"Just a little!" Sora chuckled weakly, scratching the back of his head.

"I see," Sephiroth nodded slowly, studying the brunette carefully. "Anyway, can I talk to you in privateYour Highness? There's something I wish to discuss with you."

Sora blinked at him in confusion. "Uhh… Sure..."

-o-O-o-

_Behind the Church, in a secluded area_

"So? What do you have to talk to me about?" Sora asked casually after they've arrived there.

"Alright. I will get straight to the point…" He locked eyes with Sora's sinisterly. "I know all about you, Your Highness."

Sora stared back at him uneasily. "What… About me?"

"You are the rightful heir to the throne, are you not?"

Sora suddenly felt alarmed. "No, I'm not. What're you talking about? Roxas is my older brother."

"A beautiful, feisty maid came to work in this castle. It was said that the King fell deeply in love with her. Elena was very jealous over her; to the point she hated her and wanted nothing more but to have her disappear from their lives. So the maid was expelled from the castle by the Queen eventually. But what they did not know is that she was pregnant at that time… with you."

Sora stared at him in utter shock, wide-eyed.

"You were born a day before your brother. So that makes you… _the rightful heir to the throne_," Sephiroth continued smugly. "Do not try to deny it. It's futile," he added with a smirk.

"How did you know?" Sora asked quietly all of a sudden, his expression turned suddenly serious.

"You're a truly different entity when you get serious aren't you?" The long-haired duke chuckled dryly.

"How did you know?" Sora repeated firmly.

"I have my sources..."

"What do you want?"

That was when Sephiroth got serious too. "He took your place. What should have been yours!" He exclaimed abruptly.

Sora looked at him incredulously. "What are you talking about?"

"Your brother! Roxas. He is taking everything away from you! But I can help you!" Sephiroth quickly took a few steps forward. "I can help you get what is originally _yours_! I can help you—"

"Stop!" Sora snapped abruptly at him, causing him to halt. "I won't hear this crap!"

Sephiroth's mouth became a thin line. He frowned darkly.

"There's no way I'll get your help and let you do whatever it is you plan to do to my brother! You're stupid for even thinking it!" With that, Sora started to walk away.

"But what about… Princess Naminé?" Sephiroth said quietly all of a sudden.

Sora stopped and turned around calmly when Sephiroth didn't continue, "She loves my brother and my brother loves her too. Whatever else you heard is wrong…" Then he turned back again to leave.

"That is not what I meant," Sephiroth quickly said, smirking smugly. "But you did get me very curious there…"

Sora stopped and bit his lower lip uneasily.

"Are you even aware who princess Naminé is?"

Sora turned to stare at him in confusion. "What do you mean…?"

Sephiroth looked at him smugly, like he knew something he didn't. That perked up Sora's curiosity.

"She's a royalty…" Sora said with shrug. "A princess from some fancy kingdom…"

"Princess Namine is from the most powerful kingdoms in the land. The marriage between her and your brother is either gaining the best ally for the Twilight Kingdom… or the worst enemy," he said darkly, studying Sora carefully. "It all depends on how the marriage goes…"

"…Why are you telling me this?" Sora questioned quietly.

Smirking, he answered slyly, "Just thought you should get a reminder…"

Sora studied him suspiciously. '_Does he know about Naminé's feelings for… me?'_

"The princess is deeply in love with my bro," Sora retorted stubbornly. "And Rox with her. It's all going to be perfect!"

"Oh?" Sephiroth gave him a sly look.

"I know all about you Sephiroth…" Sora became grim. "You're after power… I heard from Ans! Your family was originally the supposed rulers of this kingdom but then one of your ancestors—"

"No need to dwell in the past," Sephiroth said abruptly. "And your accusation is simply misplaced. I want but only the Kingdom's own good."

Sora turned to leave. But before going, he warned Sephiroth darkly, "Stay away from my family!"

To that, Sephiroth scoffed. "Family? They are not. Just as soon as your brother Roxas marries princess Naminé and has a life of his own – the life that you conveniently handed over to him – he will forget all about you!"

"That's not true!"

"The truth is that you've got no one in this world. And your so-called friends…" He snorted to himself. "Who knows? They might backstab you one day…"

"Don't say one more bad word about my friends! I trust them with my _life_!" Sora snapped angrily. "They're the only people I know that accepted me for who I am…"

Sephiroth let out a helpless sigh. "What a sad boy…"

Sora ignored him and marched off in a huff, shaken and outraged.

After Sora had left, Zexion came out from the other corner. "What are we going to do now Father?"

His father smirked confidently, glancing at the direction Sora had left from. "Do not fret. We will get what we desire eventually… Patience."

"But, that Sora… He does not look like he will ever be willing to cooperate with us."

At that, his father smirked mysteriously. "You underestimate the power love has over people son. It is very powerful, so very powerful that it can make a person do outrageous things..."

"…?" Zexion stared at his father, puzzled. "So father, you still believe that Sora will be able to betray his brother eventually?"

His sinister smirk stretched. "We shall sit back and see how it unfolds…"

-o-O-o-

Everyone had left the church to attend the buffet arranged outside in the royal front yard. Roxas and Namine were side by side, their arms linked, listening to guests congratulations and greeting their family members.

Later, they sighed with relief as they watched all the guests leave to attack the buffet.

"Wow, that was tiring…" Roxas commented to his fiancée with a lop-sided grin, stretching his arms in the air.

Namine smiled back a little, feeling pretty exhausted herself.

Roxas sensed this. "Do you want to sit down?" He asked softly.

She nodded gratefully, smiling wider. "Yes."

On their way to their personal table, Roxas noticed Sora coming out from behind the church, looking lost in his own world.

"Hey, it's Sora," Roxas pointed out with a smile. Beside him, Namine's body almost jumped alarmingly at the name. Swiftly, she turned to follow Roxas's vision.

Roxas walked ahead to meet up with his brother while Naminé hesitantly trailed behind.

"What kind of brother are you?" Roxas asked jokingly, stopping to stand right in front of Sora. "Arriving late at my coronation…"

A startled Sora looked up instantly to meet his brother's face. "Oh. Roxas…" He muttered dejectedly before quickly shaking off his dreary mood and breaking into a huge grin. "All hail, King Roxas!" He said loudly with a bow, causing Roxas to chuckle.

Naminé finally appeared into view and stood next to Roxas timidly, unable to meet Sora in the eye, or even Roxas's for that matter. Having both brothers around her at the same time felt very awkward.

On the other hand, Sora had his eyes fixed on the buffet stationed behind Roxas and Naminé; as if he was afraid it would run out before he was able to get there.

Roxas noticed where he was looking and shook his head. "Did you come for me or for the food?"

Sora looked back at him and grinned playfully. "Do I have to be honest?"

Roxas smacked Sora playfully on the arm, causing him to chuckle.

Meanwhile, Naminé reluctantly looked up to take a peek at Sora. She found herself disappointed to discover that his entire attention was on Roxas. He as completely ignoring her presence…

"Hey, where were you the last couple of days? There was no word from you at all. You didn't even tell me you were going somewhere..." Roxas scolded older-brother style.

Sora gave him a sheepish look, throwing an arm behind his head. "I, uh… I just had to get out of here."

Namine frowned to herself immediately. '_You just had to get away from ME…'_

"Don't blame you. It's suffocating in here…" Roxas sighed tiredly.

"Yeah…" Sora chuckled awkwardly before quickly changing the subject. "Soo how's everyone?"

Shrugging lightly, Roxas replied, "Fine, I guess." And then, turning to Naminé slightly, he added, "Namine's parents are here by the way. I think you should go and introduce yourself."

Namine quickly looked up to see if Sora was finally going to look at her now. But he didn't.

"Nah, it's not necessary," Sora replied casually, shrugging.

'_He is ignoring me on purpose…' _Naminé thought with frustration.

"There you are Sora!" Kairi exclaimed all of sudden, appearing behind the brunette out of nowhere.

Sora turned to blink at her in surprise. "Where did _you_ come from?"

She gave him a traditional smack on the head. "I should ask you that!" She yelled. "I asked Riku and he said he doesn't know where you ran off to!"

Sora blinked confusedly this time. "Really? But he—"

"Oh, Roxas!" Kairi exclaimed with a broad smile, just noticing the young king. "Congratulations!"

"Thanks," Roxas returned her smile. "How have you been Kairi?"

"Great!" She replied cheerfully before quickly turning to Naminé. "Naminé! Hii!"

"It's good to see you Kairi," Naminé smiled back at the red-head politely.

"Hey! What about m—" Sora began, glaring at the red-head, but got interrupted again.

"So how is it going between you two?" Kairi asked Roxas and Naminé enthusiastically, winking suggestively.

Roxas chuckled nervously while sliding a hand behind his head and looking away. Naminé, on the other hand, was too preoccupied with her worries and thoughts to be aware of what was going on.

"So?" Kairi pressed, leaning forward to study them with her hands on her hips.

Sora stopped and turned to glance at Roxas curiously too.

"Don't tell me nothing changed after several months!" Kairi said incredulously. "Naminé! You've got to be nicer to Roxas! He's a really great guy!"

Roxas turned to stare at Naminé's reaction. She simply smiled at the red-head awkwardly.

"What's the matter with you Naminé? You're acting… odd," Kairi said all of a sudden.

"I thought so too," Roxas quickly added, looking at Naminé with concern. "But she won't tell me what's wrong."

"…" Sora watched the whole thing nonchalantly. He knew exactly what was wrong with her, just as he also knew how desperately she craved his attention right now. He had noticed her sending him glances every now and then.

"Yeah," Sora blurted out suddenly, catching everyone's attention, especially Naminé's. Slowly, he finally turned his head to look at her blankly.

Namine's breath was almost caught in her throat when his ocean blue eyes locked eyes with hers at last.

"Kairi's right," Sora continued casually, breaking into a small smile. "You should take good care of my brother..."

Naminé kept staring at him dumbfoundedly, her heart beating so fast inside her chest.

"…Bro's wife," Sora finished with the same casual, playful manner. As if what happened a few days ago had no meaning or any kind of significance to him.

The conversation continues, but Namine wasn't able to keep track of it. Sora had hurt her deeply… without even saying or doing much. She clenched a shaking fist tightly by her side, inwardly boiling with frustration she could not show.

-o-O-o-

_Later, at the ballroom_

After the feast, everyone moved to the ballroom for the ritual dance. It started with Roxas and Naminé, with everyone else just watching.

Meanwhile, at the back of the crowd, Sora was leaning on a wall, a bored expression on his face.

"Why do I have to stay? It's so boring," He whined to his two best friends for the hundredth time.

Kairi sighed tiredly. "You can just go y'know!"

"I tried! But the guards won't let me go!"

"Why?" Riku asked curiously, standing coolly at the other side of the brunette with his hands in his pockets.

"They said it's the Queen's orders. I'm not allowed to leave!" Sora exclaimed before mumbling wonderingly to himself, "What is she planning…?"

Meanwhile, the dance between Roxas and Naminé seemed over. They watched as Roxas began dancing with his mother, the Queen instead.

"You can sneak out…" Kairi suggested casually to the brunette. "Like you always do…"

"I can't. The ballroom is like a freakin' prison. The only exit is guarded! And the windows are too high!"

"So you _have_ thought about escaping…" Kairi muttered, rolling her eyes.

Suddenly, Naminé and an older man that had his arm locked with hers approached them.

Sora quickly got off the wall and blinked at them curiously, along with Kairi and Riku.

"You are Prince Roxas' brother are you not?" The older man asked Sora sharply.

"Er, yeah…" Sora replied awkwardly.

Kairi pinched his arm. "Is this how you talk to the King of the Hikari Kingdom?" She hissed at him.

Sora's eyes went wide with shock. "S-So that's you…"

Riku and Kairi roll their eyes at his cluelessness.

"F-Father," Naminé said weakly, almost pleadingly. "I-It is not necessary…"

"He is going to be family soon," her father told her. "Of course it is necessary!"

"Umm… Can I ask what is going on here?" Kairi questioned politely.

The King turned to smile at them. "I am here to ask you to take my daughter's hand…" he told Sora.

Sora's eyes almost bulged out. "H-Huh?"

"…To dance." Naminé's father finished.

"O-Oh," Sora relaxed.

Naminé stared at Sora anxiously for his answer.

"Uhm, sorry your, erm, Majesty. But I don't dance," Sora said sheepishly.

Her father grimaced. "You will not turn down my daughter for a dance!" He roared furiously, causing Sora and his friends to flinch.

Sora started to back away, sweating nervously. "B-But I can't…" He collided with a waiter with his back and almost caused him to drop his tray. Almost. But that action had certainly got Ansem's attention, who was supervising over the place.

"What is going on here?" Ansem asked worriedly as soon as he got to them. "Did he do something to offend you Your Majesty? If so, I deeply, deeply apolo—"

"He refuses to dance with my daughter!" Namine's father exclaimed outrageously.

"I see…" Ansem bowed down his head before quickly turning to glare at Sora. "Why are you not following the King's orders brat?"

"B-But I can't dance!" Sora blurted out.

"A prince who can't dance?" Namine's father shook his head in disbelief.

"He can!" Ansem quickly retorted. "He took a couple of dancing lessons with his brother!"

"Emphasis on a _couple_!" Sora said quickly.

"Then you must dance with my daughter!" Namine's father roared, causing Sora to flinch again.

Naminé frowned, feeling sorry for Sora. She knew how intimidating her father could get.

"B-B-But…" Sora fumbled around with his hair. "But I can't!" He argued weakly, unable to think of anything else.

"By 'can't' he means he does not want to make himself look like a fool," Ansem explained to the king calmly. "What he does not know is that no matter what he does, he already is a fool!"

"I think dancing is for idiots," Sora blurted out with a pout, throwing his arms behind his head carelessly.

Kairi gave him a smack on the head instantly. "YOU JUST OFFENDED EVERYONE IN THIS HALL!"

Sora blinked dumbly, wincing and rubbing his head where she hit him. "Really?"

Everyone sighed while Naminé chuckled quietly to herself.

"You _will_ dance with my daughter," The King stated darkly.

Sora gulped and looked at Kairi for help.

"Sheesh, Sora! It's just ONE dance! You won't die or anything!" The red-head exclaimed.

Sora was let down. "B-But… I can't dance!" '_…With her.'_

They were beyond frustrated. Naminé sighed sadly to herself.

"WE KNOW THAT ALREADY!" They yelled at him at the same time, causing him to wince.

"Listen, Sora, you've got to do it!" Kairi whispered at him seriously. "You can't upset the King of their kingdom! We're talking politics and complicated stuff here!"

Sora turned pleadingly to Riku, who gave him an indifferent stare before finally muttering, "Coward."

His shoulders slumped defeatedly. Surrendering at last, he turned to Naminé awkwardly to see her smiling. Not the pleasant, friendly, pure, typical Naminé-way. But the taunting, mischievous 'I-got-you' way. '_Who knew Naminé had this side to her…' _He thought with a weak smile.

Reluctantly and anxiously, Sora raised his hand to take hers. But then, all of a sudden, the Hikari King noticed Roxas coming.

"Roxas!" Naminé's father exclaimed pleasantly, forgetting all about a certain brunette and catching everyone's attention. Quickly, he took Naminé's hand – the hand Sora was about to take – and led his daughter to where Roxas was, leaving Sora's hand hanging in the air.

Sora remained in that position for a while, but then, quickly, he retreated his hand and let it drop by his side, clenching it tightly. He didn't join the others as they gathered around Roxas and the Queen.

-o-O-o-


	9. Conflicting Emotions

Chaper 9: _Conflicting Emotions_

Later during the party, Roxas was sitting with the other fellow princes and princesses his age. Naminé was busy catching up with her parents in a corner along with their Kingdom's ambassador, Marluxia.

Leaning back on the long and fancy sofa, Roxas wasn't paying attention to what the others were saying. He had his mind worried over Naminé's distant behavior.

In front of him, Olette was busy serving the other princes and princesses drinks. He noticed her and waited until she passed in front him.

"Olette," he called out quietly.

Olette stopped, blinking at Roxas curiously. "What is it, Ro—Your Majesty? Do you need something to drink?"

"Never mind that, shouldn't you be resting? It's already very late…"

"I don't have a choice; we're short on servants…" She told him with a weak smile.

"Isn't there others who can replace you? You've been working all day…"

"Unfortunately, no."

"Do you want me to talk to them?"

Olette blushed profusely all of a sudden, quickly looking around to check if anyone had heard. Then she leaned in toward Roxas and hissed, "I don't want your help okay? Don't ever think about making it easy for me just because you're the king, understand?"

Roxas grinned amusedly at her. "Yes, ma'am," He said a bit loudly, not caring if anyone else heard.

She sent him a quick threatening glare before leaning back and moving on with her work. Roxas watched her leave, grinning still.

Not very far away, leaning on a nearby sofa, Princess Larxene was watching them interact with interest, a slight frown on her face. When Olette passes by her, she stopped her to take a drink.

"Are you a servant here?" Larxene questioned sharply.

"Um, not really. I work as the castle's librarian. But since they needed more servants for today's big occasion, I volunteered," Olette answered her casually.

"Hmm, I see," Larxene hummed, playing with the surface of her glass with her fingers. She looked up and smiled 'innocently'. "You look lovely, by the way."

Olette chuckled bashfully. "Oh, you're just saying that!"

"You reminded me," Larxene's expression transformed into a sneer. "I was JUST saying that!" She laughed out loud. The two princesses by her side also snickered at Olette.

Olette gripped her tray tighter, frowning. She was trying desperately to contain her anger. Suddenly, Roxas showed up by Olette's side, surprising her. "Don't ever think of harassing my friends again Larxene!" Roxas yelled at the blonde angrily. "Or you're not welcome here!"

"_Friends_?" Larxene scoffed. "She's a commoner!"

Roxas glared at her threateningly.

She rolled her eyes and looked away haughtily. "Whatever!"

_Outside, in the hallway_

"Olette!" Hayner and Pence came hurrying toward Roxas and Olette from down the hallway. "We heard what happened!"

"That bitch!" Hayner cursed angrily, gritting his teeth. "If only she wasn't a princess, I'd—"

"I'd sit on her!" Pence exclaimed dramatically. Hayner, Roxas and Olette stopped to raise an eyebrow at him. Then burst off laughing.

"That'd kill her alright!" Hayner said through laughter.

After they'd stopped laughing, Hayner and Pence stared at Roxas and Olette blankly, waiting for them to say something. Roxas and Olette did the same, but for different reasons.

"Oh!" Pence exclaimed loudly all of a sudden before turning to Hayner. "I think they want to talk in private!"

Hayner's eyes went wide. He quickly turned to Olette. "So you will tell him what you have to tell him now?"

Olette's cheeks turned pink. "Shut up Hayner!"

"Fine, I get it!" He winked at her before turning around to leave with Pence. "See ya later!"

After they'd left, Roxas turned to Olette seriously. "Why didn't you defend yourself back there?" He told her a bit angrily. "It was hard to watch!"

"I can't tell off royalty stupid!" She retorted, hand on her hips. "You're different. Because you're… my friend."

Roxas sighed, giving up. "So what did you have to tell me?" He asked casually all of a sudden.

"H-Huh?" She blinked at him in shock, taken-aback.

"Hayner said…"

"Don't listen to Hayner!" She said quickly, all worked up. "H-He lies!"

Roxas raised an eyebrow at her slowly. "Okay…?"

"I have to get back to work!" She said before quickly walking back into the hall, leaving a confused Roxas behind.

_Back at the party_

Roxas slumped down back on the same sofa, noticing that Naminé was still busy with her family. He sighed heavily to himself when all of a sudden; Sora popped up, standing beside him behind the sofa.

"Hey Roxas," he told his brother casually.

Roxas looked back, startled. "Wh-What?"

"What if… What if we somehow switched places?" Sora said hypothetically with a casual expression.

"…" Roxas blinked back at his brother slowly, confused by his eccentricity and randomness.

"What do you think?"

"Well…" Roxas looked down at his lap thoughtfully. "I guess I'd like it better, if you and I switched lives."

"Really?"

"Yeah. You're the one who will take all the responsibility. I'll be free to do whatever I want…"

Sora chuckled a bit. "Yeah, I guess that's true."

"Honestly though, I've always wished that… That we switch places," Roxas revealed softly.

_Silence. _Sora was staring down at him with surprise.

"You do know that… If I take your place, it will mean…" He looked ahead of them, staring at Naminé's direction casually. "…that I will be the one to marry your fiancée."

"…!" Roxas looked back instantly at Sora, startled, like he had totally forgotten about that fact.

Sora watched him quietly for a while before saying again, "Hey Roxas."

"Hm?"

"I don't have anything to do. I want to get a job."

Roxas stared back at him in surprise. "Since when did _you_ care about working and getting a job?"

"It just hit me… I've got nothing to do in my life. I'm bored."

"What about fishing?"

"It can get boring y'know."

"Umm, sword fighting?"

"I hate it."

"But you're so good at it." Roxas said before muttering quietly and a bit jealously to himself, "Better than me, even…"

"It sucks."

Roxas let out a sigh. "Sorry, can't help you there…"

Sora looked away with a pout.

_Silence._

"Hey Roxas."

"What?" Roxas answered impatiently this time, frowning irritatedly.

"Now that you're king…" Sora began, staring at his brother carefully. "Will you still look after me?"

Roxas rolled his eyes. "What are you talking about? Of course I will idiot!"

Sora chuckled before turning to walk away abruptly. "Okay I'm going now!"

Roxas suddenly remembered something and got up quickly after his brother. "Hey, Sora, wait!"

Sora halted and turned around curiously. "Yeah?"

"We're going camping out and hunting tomorrow morning."

"We…?"

"Naminé and I. And Hayner, Olette and Pence are coming too. You know, they wouldn't let us go out without a few guards."

"Okay..." Sora nodded slowly. "And where do I fit in the picture?"

"You're coming with us," Roxas announced casually.

"Why should I?" Sora retorted dumbly.

"Because no one else knows these forests as well as you do," Roxas explained patiently. "And besides, mom said you'd come."

Sora blinked at him in surprise. "The Queen? She said that?"

"Yeah."

"Well I'm not going," Sora replied quickly.

"You have to. Mom won't let us go unless you're with us."

"She really said that?" Sora asked again skeptically.

"Yeah!" Roxas retorted a bit impatiently, suspicious. "Why are you doubting me?"

"Fine, fine," Sora sighed heavily in defeat. "I'm going…" He muttered while staring at the ground worriedly.

-o-O-o-

Later, after Naminé was done talking with her family, she noticed that Sora had escaped during the chaos.

Taking advantage of the chaos herself, she snuck away from the crowd and went looking for Sora.

It didn't take her long to find him.

He was on one of the deserted balconies, alone, sitting on the railing and staring down below for some reason.

"BE CAREFUL!" She exclaimed alarmingly, rushing to him panicky.

Without looking back, Sora said casually, "Even if I fall, I won't die, I'll just get some broken bones… it's not a very far fall."

She gasped automatically, making him chuckle amusedly.

"We're just talking 'if' here…" Laughing still, he turned around only to find that she wasn't the person he thought she was. His eyes widened in surprise. "O-Oh… I thought you were Kairi…" He mumbled nervously.

She frowned at that, walking slowly to stand by his side. She rested her arms on the railing and observed the scenery before them silently.

Sora glanced at her sideways in the middle of the silence, feeling awkward.

"Sora…" She finally spoke in a soft, peaceful tone. "D-Do you like Kairi?" She blurted out, blushing.

He remained silent for a while before finally answering, "No, she's like a sister to me."

Naminé pouted cutely. "We're all like sisters to you…"

He chuckled to himself lightly and then looked back at the scenery.

"You like her," Naminé stated firmly after a while, convinced.

"I did," he replied quietly.

"You still do."

"No. Now she's nothing more than a sister to me," he stated stubbornly.

"Why?" Naminé exclaimed frustratedly.

He was surprised at her outburst and turned his head to blink at her curiously.

"I don't understand! If you like her, you should have told her! Why?" '_Why are you always causing pain to yourself on purpose?'_

"Because…" He looked deep in thought, like he was contemplating whether to say something or not.

"Because…?" She urged him to continue, staring at him carefully.

Locking eyes with her seriously, he revealed softly, "Because… Roxas liked her."

Naminé was taken-aback. '_I-Is he… Is he admitting something to me?'_

She stared hard at his serious, gentle expression with wide open eyes, her jaw dropping slowly. '_He looks like he has just told me something important…'_

Before giving her any more time to realize what he was trying to tell her, quickly, he turned away to look at the sky, kicking his feet around, the soberness in the air gone, "But I guess she didn't like him back or something!" He gave a light, careless shrug.

_Silence._

Naminé watched him painfully for a while. "Aren't you thinking that history is repeating itself now?" She muttered quietly with a sad frown. "Do you still want to put yourself through the same pain…?"

"What pain?" Sora choked out a chuckle. "I'm perfectly happy like this."

"No, you're not. Why are you doing this to yourself Sora?" She choked out painfully.

"…"

"Sora? Sora, you're empty!" She started tearing a bit, putting a hand over her heart where it was hurting. She was sensing Sora's pain in there somehow. "You're lonely aren't you? Sora, talk to me!" She pleaded.

"I'm not…" He replied faintly. "I have many friends, you included… And Roxas…and many people who care about me…"

She took a firm step forward. "But still! Even with all of them around, you still feel lonely don't you? You must have been wondering why…" She sniffed, causing Sora to frown miserably to himself. "Because you're not letting anyone in! There has to be someone who you can pour your heart to, tell your secrets to… otherwise, if you keep it in, it will only weigh on you… you can never be truly happy this way!"

_Silence._

Sora stared up at the moon serenely. "You're amazing..." He breathed out suddenly with incredible gentleness.

Naminé's eyes went wide and she stopped tearing instantly. "Eh?"

But before she could say anything, Sora jumped off the balcony. Naminé panicked and quickly looked down, her heart had almost stopped. Then she noticed Sora grinning playfully up at her from another balcony just below this one. "Did I mention there's a second balcony down there?"

"Sora, you… you…!" She shook her fist down at him frustratedly.

He grinned back wider in return and then pointed at Naminé to look behind her.

"Huh?" She blinked down at him confusedly, and then scowled when he ran off inside the building.

"Who are you talking to?"

Turning around swiftly, she found Roxas approaching her and inwardly panicked, quickly wiping off all traces of tears on her face before he got to her.

"I-I just… saw something… move… down there…" She told him awkwardly.

Roxas grinned. "Scared?"

She smiled weakly. "A-A little."

"Okay then I'll stay with you for a while," he told her with a smile, leaning on the railing beside her.

She smiled at him sideways nervously. "Thanks…"

_Back at the ballroom_

Queen Elena turned to Ansem by her side abruptly. "Where is Sora? Did he manage to escape?"

Ansem turned to her nervously. "Y-Yes Your Majesty… H-He jumped off one of the balconies while we were distracted it seems."

The Queen stared at him with mild shock. "Is he alright?"

"Yes. He has more than nine lives that boy, no need to fret," Ansem chuckled lightly.

"And the princess?" The Queen asked quickly.

"She is with Prince Roxas."

The Queen nodded. "I see... That is good."

Suddenly, Sephiorth approached them, holding up a glass of red wine and sneering at the Queen. "Good evening, Your Majesty."

The Queen scowled at him but muttered back an unintelligible greeting nonetheless.

"Congratulations for your son," Sephiroth told her with false emotion.

"Hrm," Elena replied contemptuously.

"There is still some bad blood between us it seems," Sephiroth muttered with a seemingly hurt expression. "That is truly unfortunate. I thought you got over the past."

"Your family simply cannot be trusted!" Ansem interjected, frowning.

"You speak of my ancestors. I but only want peace!" Sephiroth shrugged, feigning innocence.

They ignore him, looking away in annoyance.

"I see that I am not wanted," Sephiroth stated with a slight frown. "Very well. I shall take my leave…" He began to walk away. "Oh, that reminds me…" He stopped abruptly and turned around. "I have met… your other _son_, Prince Sora," He tells the Queen, who blinked at him suspiciously. "Now _he_ was a truly remarkable young man. He has such a pure heart that I have never seen like before. But nonetheless, there's a darkness that resides in every heart… don't you think?" He smirked at them mysteriously one last time, bowed, and then walked away at last.

Ansem glanced at the Queen in confusion. "What was he on about?"

The Queen blinked at Sephiroth's back in confusion. "I have no idea…"

-o-O-o-

_Next day, early morning_

Sora arrived late to their pre-selected camping spot. Roxas, Naminé, Hayner, Olette and Pence already got there before him; they'd been waiting for him to come and help them set up the tent and other things.

Roxas approached him. "Did you bring _anything_ with you?" He questioned his carefree-looking brother exasperatedly.

Sora shrugged to indicate that he'd come completely without anything but himself.

"…" Everyone sighed wearily at him while Naminé stifled a giggle in the background.

"When in the wild," Sora began explaining 'sagely' to his brother. "Use the stuff you find there. _That's_ the best fun part of an outdoor experience!"

"Right…" Roxas replied dully, turning away to get back to work.

_Later…_

After the men finished work, Sora quickly threw his upper clothes off all around the place to take a dive into the lake.

Everyone smiled softly as they watched him from the distance.

Naminé couldn't help but admire Sora's tanned body.

Olette came beside her, watching Sora too. "He's attractive isn't he?"

Naminé's eyes widened slightly as they were watching the half-nude prince. She decided not to comment on that as to not sound suspicious.

Suddenly, Naminé noticed a necklace dangling on Sora's chest that had been hidden under his shirt previously. A silver necklace shaped as a king's crown.

"That necklace…" Naminé mumbled automatically in wonder.

"Oh, the necklace…" Roxas replied. "Sora had it since we were small. Probably from his mothe—" He stopped himself abruptly. He didn't know that Naminé was already aware of Sora's past, and knew even more than he did.

Naminé pretended like she hadn't heard it. "Why don't you swim too Roxas?" She asked, turning to him with a smile.

"U-Umm, no…. I prefer not…." Roxas replied nervously, looking back at the lake.

"Roxas can't swim!" Hayner blurted out mischievously behind them, obviously not bothering with formalities because they were all alone.

"Sh-Shut up!" Roxas snapped at him, blushing.

Olette and Pence joined Hayner and laughed, having heard the whole thing. Roxas blushed harder, pouting irritatedly.

Naminé stared at Roxas sympathetically. "I don't know how to swim either," she said to make him feel better. "I've never been allowed to go outside very much…"

"I feel sorry for you two…" Olette frowned sympathetically at the pair.

Suddenly, they turned to find Sora rushing back to the shore and shivering madly. "Th-Th-The wa-wa-water i-is s-s-s-s-s-so co-cold...!" He lowered himself down on the ground, hugging himself pathetically.

They smiled despite themselves, shaking their heads at him.

_Later, after Sora had dried himself and wore his clothes back on…_

"Let me do it!" Sora exclaimed stubbornly, trying to take the two sticks of wood from Roxas. "_I_ should know better on how to create a camp fire!"

"Shut up and sit back so we can make some fire to warm your cold idiot self with!" Roxas retorted irritatedly, glaring at his brother with impatience.

"Fine, fine…" Sora replied tediously with a pout, leaning back. "But I bet that I'll freeze to death before you'll be able to—"

The wood suddenly lit up. Hayner and Pence gazed at it in awe, resisting the urge to clap for some reason while Sora gawked at it. He quickly took some wooden sticks of his own and tried to create his own fire, but kept failing.

"Hey, no fair!" Sora exclaimed childishly, pouting. "How come Roxas can create fire and I can't?"

"…" They shook their heads at him as he tried over and over again for almost an hour.

"Hey guys!" Olette exclaimed after getting back from her walk with Naminé by the lake shore. "We found a boat near the lake! Do you think we can use it?"

"Awesome!" Hayner cried excitedly.

"Cool. Maybe we'll use it later," Roxas said, momentarily forgetting about his preoccupied brother and smiling back at the girls.

"FIRE!" Sora exclaimed all of a sudden, standing up abruptly and holding up the lit up wooden stick like a trophy.

"FIRE, WHERE?" Pence yelled panicky, quickly splashing Sora with a bucket of water he'd gotten from absolutely nowhere.

"…" Everyone laughed out loud as Sora stared at his now burnt out stick in horror.

"NOOOOO!" He fell to his knees in utter despair. "Pence you evil!"

-o-O-o-

Hayner, Olette and Pence were hanging about with themselves, leaving Roxas and Naminé alone to have a moment alone. They were setting back under a tree, enjoying the view.

Sora, on the other hand, was lying on his back on the grass a bit further ahead of them with his eyes closed, a relaxed expression on his face.

"Hey Sora!" Roxas called out at his brother suddenly. "Do you want to go hunting now?"

"Don't you want to have some more quality time with your fiancée?" came Sora's casual reply.

Naminé pouted to herself and looked away, knowing full well that he was just trying to avoid her.

"It's alright Roxas," Naminé told her fiancé a bit loudly, so that a certain brunette would hear. "Let's go hunting, just the two of us."

Roxas blinked at her in surprise. "You know how to hunt Naminé?"

She shook her head. "I've never tried it before."

"It's alright then, I'll show you," Roxas grinned.

"It sounds like it'll be so much fun!" She exclaimed excitedly.

Suddenly, Sora sprung upright and turned to them swiftly. "I'm bored! I'll go!"

Naminé tried to hide a smile. '_It worked!'_

"I want to see you teach your wife," Sora added with a grin.

The smile she hid disappeared.

-o-O-o-

Roxas was showing Naminé how to use the pistol by putting his arms around her, and Sora was observing silently in the background.

As Roxas was guiding her hands to the trigger, standing very closely – Sora noticed – too closely behind her; their cheeks were almost even touching from the closeness. Sora started to frown.

Suddenly, as Roxas was about to show her how to shoot, Sora interrupted quickly, pulling the pistol away from both of them and standing in between. "Hold it!" He shouted all of a sudden, catching the two off-guard.

"I won't let you kill wild animals!" He exclaimed dramatically.

Roxas let out a sigh. "Why did you come with us then?"

"…" Sora couldn't think of anything to say to that.

"Idiot," Roxas rolled his eyes while Naminé hid another smile, feeling naughtily smug.

-o-O-o-

_Back at the camp site after their small, fruitless hunting expedition…_

Roxas challenged Sora for a wooden sword fight while Naminé went with Olette to help her collect wood for the fire.

Sora kept winning easily every time, though, frustrating Roxas. Hayner and Pence sat back calmly and watched over the matches, openly surprised and impressed with Sora's skills.

"Aren't you bored already?" Sora said tediously after he'd won yet again.

"No! Pick up your sword again! I call for a rematch!" Roxas retorted competitively.

Meanwhile, Naminé and Olette had just gotten back with the wood. They stopped to watch the match beside Hayner and Pence.

"You gotta see this!" Hayner exclaimed to them excitedly. "Sora is sooo good!"

"Yeah! He like, beat Roxas nine times already!" Pence added just as excitedly. "He didn't lose once!"

Olette and Naminé stared back at the match interestedly.

"ROXAS!" Olette yelled abruptly, dropping the wood on the ground. "What kind of King are you?" Then, turning to Naminé, she chided, "You gotta cheer for Roxas! He needs you right now!"

Naminé glanced at both princes nervously.

Surprisingly, Sora lost the next match quite easily. Even Hayner and Pence were surprised.

"Hey, what just happened here?" Hayner exclaimed in disbelief. "Sora, you were totally off!"

"Yeah! He wasn't like that before!" Pence added in confusion.

"Yay! Woohoo Roxas!" Olette cheered, jumping from excitement.

"Whew, that was tiring…" Sora said carelessly with a tired sigh, stretching his muscles before turning to leave.

Roxas stared at Sora's back long and hard. "You lost on purpose didn't you?"

"…" Sora stared back at him casually.

"I know what's going on!" Pence exclaimed suddenly with a confident grin, earning everyone's attention. "You lost on purpose so that you wouldn't make your precious brother look bad in front of his fiancée!"

"Yeah!" Hayner turned to stare at Sora accusingly.

Sora merely scratched the back of his head, grinning innocently.

"A rematch!" Roxas announced suddenly, stubborn.

"Nooo!" Sora whined, his shoulders slumping.

"Pick up your sword!" Roxas demanded forcefully.

Sighing, he did. And for the second time, Sora lost. But this time, he made sure to lose after a bit more effort from his part.

Roxas opened his mouth to say 'rematch' again, but then Sora quickly shouted, "No! I'm going fishing, I'm bored!" He threw the wooden sword away and quickly made a run for it toward the lake. Naminé giggled quietly as she watched him go.

-o-O-o-

From the distance, under the shade of a tree, Roxas and Naminé, and Hayner and co not very far from them, watched Sora as he was fishing at the lake in front of them, waiting for him to bring some fish to cook since their hunting expedition was unfortunately a failure.

'_Why are they quiet back there…?' _Sora wondered confusedly.

Finally, after a lengthy hour, he caught a fish.

Everyone was excited; Hayner and his friends quickly scurried around to prepare the cooking equipment. But then, they froze in horror when they noticed Sora preparing to release it back into the water.

"STOP!" Hayner and Pence yelled at him at the same time. "WE'VE BEEN WAITING AN HOUR FOR SOME FOOD! WHY THE HELL ARE YOU LETTING OUR LUNCH GET AWAY?"

Sora turned to stare at them dumbfoundedly, the fish wobbling around in his hand. Slowly, they took steps toward him, eyes fixed on the fish like hungry lions on the loose.

"No!" Sora exclaimed in horror, pulling the fish away. "We can't eat it!"

"Why not! You always eat fish and meat!" Roxas yelled in frustration.

"Yeah, but not from an animal I saw _alive_!" Sora retorted.

"Look, Naminé and Olette are starving over there!" Roxas said exasperatedly, motioning at the tired looking females behind them, sending him pleading looks. "We're all starving!"

"I think I will die!" Pence exclaimed dramatically, clutching at his stomach in pain and leaning on a troubled Hayner for support.

"Okay, okay!" Sora said quickly in defeat, handing over the fish to Roxas. "You can have it!" He got up. "But I'll go over there while you kill it with a knife!"

"No, it's okay." Roxas said casually, studying the wobbling fish up-close with interest. "I'll just let it choke to death…"

"NO!" Sora yelled abruptly, horrified. "It'll suffer that way! Be merciful and kill it quickly!"

Meanwhile, Naminé was watching them from the distance with a smile on her face. _'He is so cute…'_ She thought about Sora. _'Just like a child…'_

Roxas sighed. "Fine," he said in defeat, and then took the knife from Hayner and prepared to kill the fish, bringing it up to finish it. But then he halted. He couldn't do it.

He felt everyone watching him silently and turned around to glare at them. They quickly looked away innocently.

He coughed into his fist. "Hayner, Pence. Come over here and do it."

"What's the matter? Can't do it?" Hayner replied tauntingly, exchanging a mischievous grin with Pence.

Roxas frowned, blushing slightly. "J-Just do what I ordered you to!"

"Alright. Since you asked so nicely…" Pence shrugged, grinning.

-o-O-o-

Later around the campfire, Sora was hugging his knees closer to his chest in a gloomy position, watching as everyone ate a part of the fish he'd caught.

"It's been hours now, when will you get over it?" Pence said, rolling his eyes.

"It's the first time someone ate something I caught…" Sora mumbled eerily between his legs. "I feel like a murderer…"

They shook their heads at him, suppressing the urge to smile. Naminé stifled a giggle, shaking her head as well.

Suddenly, Sora got up, catching everyone's attention. "I'm going to look for wild berries and stuff, I'm starving," he announced tiredly, rubbing his stomach.

Waiting a while after his disappearance, Naminé then got up and announced that she was going for a walk to stretch her legs.

"Do you want me to go with you?" Roxas asked, preparing to get up.

"No, it's not necessary," Naminé told him with a smile. "I just need a time alone."

"Alright…" Roxas muttered quietly. "If that's what you want… But you have to be care—"

"I won't take long," She quickly assured him. "And I won't go far either."

"Alright, but be careful," he said nonetheless, smiling.

She nodded and left to take a walk by the lake shore.

-o-O-o-

Roxas was looking at the direction Naminé had left from with concern. Hayner and Pence were too occupied chatting with each other to notice that he was a bit off.

Olette, meanwhile, was watching Roxas next to her understandingly. "Worried?" She asked softly after a while, smiling.

"H-Huh?" Roxas turned to her, startled a bit.

She smiled at him reassuringly. "It's okay. She'll be fine. These forests are safe."

He nodded a bit, smiling in relief. "Yeah, I guess."

_Silence._

"Roxas?"

"Hm?"

"Did you _tell_ Naminé about your feelings?"

His eyes widened at the abruptness of the question. "…."

"Just as I thought…" She turned her head away before adding quietly, "You should tell her."

"…." Roxas turned his head away as well silently with a perplexed expression.

"You know what? I think you should tell her tonight!" She urged, turning to smile encouragingly at Roxas before looking away again and adding softly, "I understand that it's hard for you to express your feelings to others…but you should try anyway. That is, if you really want your feelings to get through to Naminé…"

"…." Roxas silently agreed, contemplating it seriously in his head.

-o-O-o-

_At the lake..._

It didn't take Naminé long to find Sora. She was right; he was sitting by himself in front of the lake, eating his berries. _He wasn't planning on getting back…_

Sora sensed her approaching him and turned around.

"Oh. Bro's Wife," He didn't look very surprised. He had expected her to follow him. "What's up?" He asked casually with an innocent expression.

Naminé narrowed her eyes at his casualness with frustration. "Why are you avoiding me?" She asked a bit angrily. "Why are you pretending like everything that's happened between us has no meaning to you?"

He let out a weary sigh, turning back to face at the lake.

_Silence._

She stood her ground stubbornly and waited for him to answer.

"Please," he pleaded suddenly. "Forget about it. I know you're not a bad kind of person, princess. But you should forget all about it. You should be able to understand the situation by now…" He told her softly while gazing down at the berry in his hand.

"What situation…?"

"You're engaged to my brother."

"Can we forget that fact for a while, and can you tell me how you really feel about me…?"

"I've already told you—" He turned to face her with a sigh.

"I don't believe you."

"It's the truth!"

"You're a very bad liar..."

"Why can't you accept reality?" He asked frustratedly.

"Why can't you be honest with yourself?" She retorted just as stubbornly.

"I don't know what you're talking about!" He turned back to the lake quickly, irritated.

"Acting dumb won't get you anywhere!"

"I'm not acting dumb!" He swiftly turned to look at her again.

"Yes you are!"

"I am not!"

She sighed exasperatedly. "So is this how it's going to be? Just acting dumb and lying to ourselves? Is that how you interpret happiness?"

"I don't know about you, but I AM happy!"

"Don't lie to me Sora!"

_Silence._

Naminé was staring at him intensely, like she was able to see through him. He looked away uneasily.

"See!" Naminé cried suddenly. "Why do you do that? Why do you always look away! Why can't you face me?"

Sora turned to her swiftly, "Because I can't!" He blurted out.

She stopped and blinked at him in surprise. "What did you say?"

He bit his lip harder, keeping it shut. "Y-You should go back now," he said quietly, standing up and walking away by himself.

Naminé watched him walking farther across the lake shore sadly. _'If only I could change our fate…'_

-o-O-o-


	10. Kiss & Run

_If you love someone, let them go._

_If they return to you, __it was meant to be._

_If they don't, their love was never __yours to begin with. ~Unknown_

Chapter 10: _Kiss & Run_

_Meanwhile, at Hollow Bastion Kingdom…_

Kairi was sitting on the couch near the window in one of the rooms by herself, deeply depressed.

Riku entered the room and let out an exasperated sigh when he saw her. "Aren't you going to bed anytime soon?"

"..." She continued staring outside the window miserably.

"Is it still about… that guy, Cloud? I heard he's dating some princess called Aerith…"

"…"

"You should have listened to us. He's too old for you."

"…"

Riku sighed exasperatedly, giving up. "Whatever. I'm going to bed," he said, turning to leave. "Just wanted to let you know that I'm going to the Twilight Kingdom first thing tomorrow."

"Wait!" She quickly turned her head, frowning. "Aren't you going to cheer me up?"

"I'll leave that job to Sora," Riku replied in a bored fashion, then stopped and looked back at her curiously. "Where did he go anyway?"

"He's out hunting with Roxas and Naminé," she replied casually before sighing miserably to herself again.

Riku's eyes sparkled with interest. "Is that so?"

"Yeah… But I didn't go because I was too upset…"

"So he's going with them huh?" Riku muttered with a smirk. "Interesting…"

"What's so interesting about that?" Kairi stared at him with a raised eyebrow. "Sora goes camping all the time!"

"…"

"Sora, that idiot…" Kairi mumbled irritatedly to herself. "I asked him to take me camping with him a hundred times, but he never did! And now he's going with Roxas and Naminé! Hmph…"

Riku studied her carefully. "You follow Sora around a lot," he stated apathetically.

"That's because he is always avoiding me!" Kairi snapped, pouting cutely.

"…"

"But that's before… Now he's different! Haven't you noticed? Sora has changed a lot recently…"

"Hrm."

"But he still won't tell me anything though!"

Riku listened to her ranting about Sora patiently.

"He sees me depressed like this and won't even try to cheer me up! Hmph!"

"Kairi…"

"He even had the nerve to just go ahead to some camping trip without even asking if I'd like to come along!"

"…You like Sora," Riku stated coolly out of the blue, catching the red-head off-guard.

She turned swiftly to gawk at him. "Wh-Wh-Why are you saying this so suddenly?"

"Never mind," Riku muttered indifferently, shrugging a bit. "I see how it is." He turned around again to leave.

"…" Kairi stared down at her lap quietly as he walked away.

_A brief silence followed._

"Sora doesn't love me," Kairi blurted out in a bitter, quiet tone.

Riku sighed to himself, wondering if he should tell her something or not. He made up his mind quick enough. "You know that's not the truth…"

"Huh?" Kairi blinked at him curiously.

"The truth is… you must know…" Riku stared at her hard and serious. "Sora only turned you down because… Roxas liked you."

Her head shot up instantly, staring wide-eyed at the silver-head in utter shock.

"And all you've been doing before is making it harder for him."

At that, Kairi burst into tears. She buried her face into her hands and cried harder. "Oh, Sora…" She sniffed. "I-I didn't know…"

"Now you do," Riku told her quietly before walking away again.

"Riku," Kairi said firmly all of a sudden, stopping the silver-head on his tracks. "I'm going with you to the Twilight Kingdom!"

Riku merely nodded his head back at her before leaving quietly.

'_Tomorrow…' _She thought determinedly to herself, quickly wiping away her tears. '_I have to find Sora and talk to him!'_

-o-O-o-

_Back at the castle, the Queen's Office…_

"Lord Zexion, for the twentieth time: we do not know where our librarian has gone off to," The Queen told the young lord exasperatedly. "Perhaps she took a day off. She has been working very hard lately."

"Incompetent slacker!" Zexion blurted out, frowning angrily to himself.

"Do you need help looking for books, or do you only wish to see _her_ in person?" The Queen asked skeptically, studying him. "If it's the latter, I must advise you in your father's place: commoners are no good. You are better off not involving yourself with them."

Zexion blushed profusely. "I-I am merely in need for her assistance, that is all!" He blurted out nervously while looking away in a huff. "I would _never_ put down my status to that of a filthy commoner's!"

"Oh, really…?" The Queen replied suspiciously with an indifferent expression.

"What about the guards, Hayner… and the fat one? I noticed their absence as well," Zexion muttered as indifferently as possible, turning to the Queen again.

"They have gone with Roxas, Princess Naminé and… Sora for a little camping trip around the area, as their personal guards," she told him bluntly.

"Oh, I see…" Zexion muttered, looking down in thoughtfulness.

The Queen narrowed her eyes at him suspiciously, studying his expression carefully.

**Flashback**

"I am sending you two out with Roxas, Princess Naminé and Sora for a camping trip tomorrow as their personal guards. Be prepared," The Queen instructed Hayner and Pence after she'd summoned them to her office.

They blinked at each other in surprise before bowing at the Queen obediently. "Yes, Your Majesty," they muttered at the same time before turning to get back to work. But then they stopped, and turned around again awkwardly.

The Queen raised a quizzical eyebrow at them.

"Your Majesty, actually… w-we need your help with something," Hayner blurted out.

"W-We were wondering if you could do something about Lord Zexion…" Pence added nervously.

"Lord Zexion?" The Queen gave them a cold look. "He is of much higher status than you are. You're not supposed to complain if—"

"Please! Your Majesty…We're begging you to do something about Ze—Lord Zexion!" Hayner cried frustratedly.

"Yeah!" Pence quickly backed him up. "He's a total creep! ...wi-with all due respect!"

The Queen let out a long, patient sigh. "Explain to me what he has done first."

"He's always harassing our friend, Olette!" Hayner exclaimed with disgust.

"The librarian?" The Queen's eyes glinted with curiosity.

"Yeah! And he wouldn't stop staring at her!" Pence added, shuddering. "He looks like he's undressing her with his eyes or something!"

"That's sexual harassment!" Hayner yelled. "And Olette is completely oblivious; she doesn't believe that anybody would find her attractive! She is TOO damn modest—" He stopped when the Queen gave him an exasperated you-got-off-track stare. "A-Anyway… Your Majesty should talk to that freak! …n-no offense," he hurriedly added.

"And it isn't a one-time either!" Pence quickly added again. "He's been eying our friend for a while now!"

"He has some kind of dangerous affection for her or something!" Hayner grimaced in disgust.

"We didn't tell Roxas—" Hayner gave him a harsh nudge on the stomach. "I-I mean, H-His Majesty—" Pence corrected quickly. "Because we thought he'd totally overreact and cause a problem for you if he'd known…"

The Queen nodded approvingly. "It's a good thing you haven't told him. Good job."

Hayner and Pence grinned to themselves proudly when she'd praised them.

"I'll see what I can do," she said finally, turning away.

They nodded and bowed at her again. "Thank you so much Your Majesty!"

**End of Flashback**

"Is there something the matter Your Majesty?" Zexion questioned quietly, getting suspicious.

The Queen leaned back on her chair and shook her head. "No. You may leave now."

"Stay where you are Zexion," A sly, eerie voice uttered from the entrance. "I need to have a word with you there..."

"Father?" Zexion turned around curiously to meet the intruder.

Sephiroth walked in with his head held high, smirking sinisterly.

"Lord Sephiroth. What a pleasant surprise…" The Queen greeted sarcastically, frowning.

"You try too hard Your Grace," Sephiroth said, sneering.

"What business do you have infiltrating my office?" The Queen retorted coldly.

Sephiroth smirked a little and then turned to his son by his side. "Zexion. Have I told you the reason behind Her Majesty's hostility toward our family…?" He said this while sending the Queen a sly look, who flinched a little in her seat, frowning uneasily.

Zexion shook his head carefully. "No… You have never spoken of it to me." Then, frowning enviously, he added, "But you have told it to my brother Riku..."

"I have," Sephiroth nodded slowly in confirmation, and then placed a hand on his son's shoulder. "And now I shall enlighten you as well!" His sinister smirk stretched.

"This is not an appropriate time—" The Queen quickly tried to interfere.

"Oh, it is the perfect time!" Sephiroth retorted, smiling at her smugly. Turning back to his son, he began, "Since a long time ago, our family has always dreamt of power and dominance over the land. To achieve their goal, one of our ancestors went as far as attempting to assassinate a prince from the Hikari Kingdom. Needless to say, he was caught and executed shortly after. Our family lost a lot of its power and reputation since then…"

"Hikari Kingdom? That is Princess Naminé's—"

"Yes," his father nodded calmly. "That is correct. Still, that is not the reason behind the bad blood between us and the Twilight Kingdom. The true reason is…" He locked his dark, sinister eyes with the Queen's, who looked away awkwardly. "Your late grandfather tried to marry his only adopted daughter – my sister – to a prince from a decently-powered Kingdom in order to gain back some of the respect our family has lost over the years... The marriage was very close to actually happening. It's like hope had finally shined upon our family…" He paused grimly.

"…You had a sister, Father…?" Zexion asked in bewilderment.

"Have," Sephiroth corrected gloomily with a sigh. "She is still somewhere out there, or so I'd like to believe…" He muttered with an unusual hint of gentleness. "I will stop at nothing to find her…"

"What happened next?" Zexion urged his father curiously as the Queen sighed uncomfortably in the background.

"Tragedy," Sephiroth retorted, face grim. "The prince's family aimed higher, cancelled the marriage last-minute, broke apart the two lovers, and then married their son to a princess from a more powerful Kingdom… The Twilight Kingdom."

Zexion's eyes expanded in shock. "Th-The prince was… Roxas' and Sora's…father…? King Rufus?"

"Yes," Sephiroth's expression turned dark as he slowly turned to face the Queen when he added eerily, "And he was married to Her Majesty Elena herself of course!"

-o-O-o

_Back near the camp-site…_

Later at night, everyone retreated back to their tents to sleep. Except for Naminé, she couldn't sleep. She stayed up, staring at the roof of the tent, engrossed with her thoughts. She turned her head to stare at Olette beside her, sleeping peacefully, and then slowly and carefully got up and snuck out of their tent.

Hayner, who was supposed to be on guard, was sound asleep, lying under a tree nearby and snoring loudly. She smiled a bit, shaking her head as she made her way toward the burning campfire.

Later, she glanced at the direction of Roxas' and Sora's tent worriedly. '_Did Sora return yet…?'_

As if hearing her thoughts, Naminé noticed Sora across the campfire, coming back from the shore lake. He stopped and looked up at her with equal astonishment.

"You're back!" She breathed out with open relief, smiling brightly.

He stared back at her in surprise. "You were waiting for me?"

"I couldn't sleep…" She confessed shyly while staring downward at her lap. "I was worried about you."

He stood there awkwardly for a while, didn't know what to say. So instead, he just grinned back a little while staring at the ground beneath his feet sheepishly. "Y-You shouldn't have…"

She studied him curiously from the distance. There was a hint of a blush on his cheeks. She smiled softly, her heart bursting with joy. She watched him eagerly as he walked toward her with his head hanging low, and then sat on the opposite side of the fire in awkward silence.

"Sora?" She spoke softly all of a sudden, gazing at the fire.

"…Yeah?" Came an almost timid reply.

"I've never heard you talking about your past. And I had to find out about it from other people…"

"…" He gazed at the fire too, listening calmly.

"And… I've always wondered…" She looked up at him sympathetically. "How do you feel about it?" Then nervously, she added, "I-I want you to talk to me about it, i-if possible…"

"Why?" He questioned bluntly all of a sudden, without looking at her.

"I-I want to know more about you, is all…"

"Why?"

Patiently, she replied, "Because you're going to be my… brother-in-law?"

Sora looked up at that to see her looking at him mischievously. He was frowning to himself a bit, Naminé noted with inner glee.

He noticed that she'd sensed his distress somehow and looked back at the fire hastily. "I don't want to talk about it…"

"Why?" She frowned.

"It makes me sad. I'd rather not think about it."

Naminé looked down quietly. '_Well, at least he was honest about it…'_

_Silence._

"W-Well…" Naminé broke the awkward, gloomy silence again, playing with her fingers nervously. "Wh-What about me th-then? D-Don't you want to know more about your brother's…'wife'?"

She noted with even more inner glee as Sora failed to hide his wince at the last word.

"There's nothing more for me that I need to know about you. It's none of my business," he replied bluntly and as casually as possible.

"Oh…" She looked down, trying to hide her disappointment by maintaining a smile. "I-I see."

_Silence_. But then, suddenly, Sora blurted out, "I know all there's to know about you anyway!"

Naminé looked up immediately to find him smiling at her. A small, gentle smile. Enough to make her heart start beating madly in her chest.

He couldn't help but grin when he saw her gawking at him as he went on, "I know that you're... nice, sweet, caring and pure-intentioned. You're just like my brother in a lot ways… You both want to be free to do whatever you want, and not having to follow orders from others all the time," he grinned playfully at her as he said the next part, "And you're very. VERY stubborn. And persistent…And not as innocent and angelic as everyone thinks you are!"

She smiled to herself sheepishly, blushing.

"But I guess," he looked back at the fire with what seemed to be a bittersweet smile. "That's part of what…my brother likes about you."

_Brief silence._

"You're absolutely right," Naminé blurted out happily, hugging her knees closer to her chest. "What I want the most is to be free..." She stared at him. "Just like you."

Sora choked out a laugh. "Y'know… I'm not as free as ya'all think I am!" He stared at the fire with a bitter grin. "I can't have… do everything that I want..."

"…" Naminé stared at the fire sadly as well, understanding the hidden meaning of what he'd just said.

_Another brief silence followed._

"Sora?"

"Yeah?"

"H-How many girls have you liked?"

"A few," he replied mysteriously, trying to suppress a grin.

"Who are they?" Naminé blurted out, and then quickly looked down at her lap and blushed in embarrassment.

Sora chuckled a bit before replying, thoroughly enjoying this, "There was one I liked a lot. She's nice and sweet and just as caring as you!"

"Wh-Who is she?" Naminé asked automatically, her jealousy very obvious.

"Her name's Nina," Sora continued teasingly. "Liked her a lot! In fact," His teasing grin stretched. "I still like her!"

Naminé was starting to smile victoriously. "You liar!" She chuckled. "You're referring to Nina, the old merchant's five year old daughter!"

Sora laughed along. "So you've been paying attention…" Then his expression turned mildly serious all of a sudden. "But seriously, there haven't been any other girls."

"'Other girls'?" Naminé raised an eyebrow teasingly.

"Other than Kairi I mean," Sora explained casually.

"Oh…And what about now?" She questioned slyly, staring at Sora with hopeful eyes. "Wh-Who do you like now?"

Sora opened his mouth to say something and then looked down at the ground between his legs and closed it, breaking into an amused grin as he chuckled lightly under his breath. "Nam… Bro's Wife?" He looked back up at her patiently, grinning.

"Yes?" She questioned eagerly.

"Can you go back to your tent and sleep? The others might wake up."

"No," Naminé retorted, staring at him defiantly with a cute pout.

"Roxas won't be happy to find out that you've been staying up late…" He told her, hoping to change her mind.

"I'm sure he'll understand when I explain to him."

"Aren't you sleepy at all?"

"Aren't _you_?" She countered quickly.

He stared back at her defiant stare silently for a while. "Okay… you win, princess…" He sighed with a defeated grin. "But if Roxas wakes up and sees us together at this hour…."

"He'll understand. We're just having a small… family moment," Naminé explained with an innocent smile. "And besides, it's going to be morning very soon…" She turned to gaze at the lake's direction. "Look, the sun is rising!"

Sora turned around to look at the same direction. The sun was indeed rising, making the surface of the lake glitter beautifully.

"Beautiful…" Naminé breathed out in awe.

"Yeah…" Sora gasped at the same time.

They rushed over to the lake shore, gazing at it in amazement.

"The water looks so beautiful; it makes me want to swim, except I don't know how!" She chuckled.

"Seriously?" Sora turned to her curiously, smiling. "Maybe I should teach you some ti—"He stopped abruptly, as if he said too much.

Naminé smiled slyly. "It's a promise!"

"H-Hey I didn't promise!" He pouted.

She eyed him sideways'innocently' with a mischievous look in her eyes.

Sora watched her silently, trying to suppress his smile. "You're such a tease…" Then, unconsciously to himself and unexpectedly to the both of them, he slid a hand behind her neck and pushed her face toward his.

Naminé was startled at first and didn't know what was happening, but when his lips brushed against hers, she relaxed immediately, closing her eyes gently in a state of pure bliss. She felt complete. Settled. This was it. Her happiness, her freedom... in the form of a person.

To her disappointment, their lips only faintly touched, as Sora suddenly snapped back to his senses. "A-Aahh…!" Panicky, he removed his hand from her and stumbled backwards, staring at her wide-eyed with utter shock.

Naminé blinked at him with a mixture of confusion and disappointment as he just stared down at his hand in horror. Suddenly, she smiled at him almost triumphantly, a mischievous look in her eyes. "You're an enigma Your Highness," she said playfully. "Sometimes you give me the impression that I'm just another somebody to you," she paused as he slowly started looking up at her in a wary manner. "And other times..."

Sora was feeling very frustrated, his fist shaking agitatedly by his side. His indifferent treatment toward his brother's fiancée was apparently useless, so he made up his mind in that moment to show her something else. Something that he thought would probably make her hate him, be disgusted by him even. But he was desperate and willing to risk it. For her sake, his brother's, his father's, the kingdom's... He had to do what was right.

Even if it meant losing Naminé's friendship.

"What do you say we have an affair?" He blurted out calmly all of a sudden. "No one will know about it. It'll be our secret."

Her eyes opened wide in shock. "E-Eh?" She swallowed nervously, inwardly starting to panic, unable to register what Sora had just boldly suggested in her mind. Surely she didn't hear him right. The Sora she knew wouldn't propose such a thing...

"It's the only way," he shrugged simply. The unfamiliar coldness in his eyes alarming the blonde princess as she watched him walk closer to her purposely. "You want to be with me don't you? Badly?" Abruptly, he pushed her down with him on the ground and captured her lips with his forcefully. She struggled weakly at first, punching pathetically at his chest with her fists to get him off her.

"No!" Naminé cried feebly, struggling to turn her face away from him.

He hated himself at that moment.

So much that he was about to abandon his plan to make her hate him. He was so close to actually pulling himself off her and apologizing, begging her for her forgiveness... But he didn't. He couldn't. This was for the best, he reminded himself while concentrating all of his willpower to move forward with his plan, even when every light punch from Naminé's fist on his chest, her squirming underneath him, struggling to be let go, the desperate cries muffled by his lips...destroyed him inside.

Then, to his astonishment, she ceased from struggling immediately. Instead, _she was kissing him back_. With even more force and a passion that left Sora unable to do anything. He was powerless, at her mercy, only able to feel the warmth of her feelings.

She was driving him crazy.

Mustering all of of his willpower again, he managed to take himself off her, stumbling backwards on his backside and breathing heavily. "Ca-Can't you see its wrong? You and I are impossible! I-I was just trying to make you see... but you still… Why can't you see?" He crawled toward her, picked her up from her arms and started shaking her, desperate. "You should forget me, let go of me, I tried to make it easier for you... you will do it now that you have to! Okay? You will forget all about me!"

He stared at her hopefully, waiting for an answer.

She was smiling softly, not listening to what he'd just said. "You do care about me…" She breathed out, smiling, a dreamy look in her eyes. She was hopelessly in love, Sora realized, overwhelmed.

He stared at her for a while, frozen with shock, and then started shaking his head slowly. "I'm begging you…" He pleaded softly. _'Stop climbing your way up in my heart!'_ "Stop with your delusions, stop chasing after me! It's annoying! What's between us is just a stupid attraction from my part, I can easily get over it, why can't _you_?" _'Why are you making it so difficult? Do you have any idea how much I'm suffering right now?'_

"I'm so happy…" She chuckled softly to herself. A huge load of pain lifted off her chest, she felt like she could breathe again. Smiling angelically in a way that affected Sora, she looked at him and continued, "Why can't _you_ understand? I love you... I've never really known or experienced love until I came here and met you. Do you know how much I love you?" She smiled. "I can't be with anyone else but you."

Silent moments followed. Sora could only stare at her stupidly. His mind was in chaos. Once again, he was at her mercy, a victim of a sweet kind of torment. Anxiously, he looked down at his chest and put a hand over his heart, feeling it beat so alarmingly under his touch. He looked up at Naminé again and opened his mouth speechlessly. He couldn't bring himself to say anything._ 'What is happening to me…?'_

Quietly, with his head bent down and his spikes covering his expression, Sora got up, turned around and started walking away across the lake shore.

Naminé watched him go calmly. He never looked back at her, just kept walking away and then, when he was a fair distance away, he picked up his pace and started running.

She smiled a little, letting out a small sigh. As much as she wanted to go after him, and demand that he start explaining himself to her, she knew she couldn't. He was unreachable, she could only love him from a distance. He'd never be hers, but her heart undoubtedly belonged to him, and everlastingly would.

So she let him go.

On her way back to the tent, she touched her lips with her fingers and broke into a soft, giddy smile. _'His lips were very warm…'_

-o-O-o-

Later, after Roxas and the others woke up, they were confused to find that Sora was gone. Naminé pretended that she hadn't a clue, still feeling giddy over earlier.

Unfortunately, her happiness was short-lived. For after their last meeting, Sora disappeared completely again….

-o-O-o-

**Flashback**

"Look now, Your Highness," Ansem began to say seriously to a six year old Roxas. "Our guests today are royalty. Even His Majesty, your father, thinks that they are the most proper companions for you… Oh and also," he added, smiling. "I have heard from your father personally that he may marry you to Princess Kairi in the future. So I suggest that you treat her very well, do you understand what I am saying?"

Roxas nodded faintly, bored from Ansem's instructive speeches.

"Good," Ansem nodded forcefully, pleased. "Now here they come!" He prepared himself to greet their guests as their carriages stopped just outside the castle entrance gate.

"Princess Kairi, Lord Riku," Ansem addressed their two young visitors formally, bowing a bit at them as they descended their carriages.

Roxas, standing beside Ansem, watched the two as they approached them with their guardians blankly.

"You should have told me that you are looking for companionship," Ansem had told him before, after being caught playing with Hayner and his group, the servants kids. "I would have arranged for you to meet the best and most noble offspring in the land!"

And that had led to this. Princess Kairi and Lord Riku had been summoned here for the purpose of accompanying Roxas, as a replacement for Hayner and his group. 'A more proper set of friends'.

When they came nearer, Roxas' eyes expanded in size at Princess Kairi's beauty.

"Welcome Your Majesties!" Ansem greeted with a smile. "His Highness has been waiting for you!"

Kairi's eyes wandered down to Roxas and she smiled. A very heart-warming smile that made Roxas smile back too.

"Hello!" She exclaimed cheerfully. Beside her, Riku just stared at Roxas and Ansem indifferently.

"Um, h-hi…" Roxas replied nervously.

Ansem was standing behind Roxas, watching the three with a big smile, when suddenly; Sora came running out of nowhere. He stopped abruptly in front of Ansem, whose smile slipped off his face immediately. '_The brat is here…' _Ansem thought tediously.

Everyone's attention turned to Sora as he exclaimed to Ansem excitedly, "HEY ANS! LOOK WHAT I FOUND AT THE GARDEN!" He raised a muddy hand holding a worm in front of the older man's face, who winced with disgust. "ISN'T IT CUTE?"

"Hrm…" Ansem replied distractedly, leaning back. "Now please, shoo," he quickly waved him off before he could disgust their guests.

Suddenly, Kairi giggled, drawing everyone's attention to her.

"It's so cute!" She told Sora playfully, leaning in to check the little creature in his hand. Meanwhile, Sora was blinking at her in bewilderment.

"Wow, you really think so?" Sora asked her innocently.

She nodded, grinning. "Yup!"

"Are you really a princess?"

She giggled some more before replying, "Yup!"

He stared at her, wide-eyed. "You're awesome!" He blurted out.

"…." Roxas watched them interacting with a slightly jealous pout.

"What are you doing?" Ansem hissed quietly at the little brunette. "They came for _your_ _brother_!"

"Oh," Sora mumbled in understanding, glancing at Roxas briefly. "I get it…" He added quietly before approaching his brother nervously. "D-Do you like worms?" He asked awkwardly, pushing the worm in front of his brother's face this time.

Roxas gasped and stumbled back in terror. "Wh-What is that thing, i-it's moving!"

Kairi burst out laughing at him while Riku just smirked to himself amusedly, suppressing a chuckle.

"Seriously? You haven't heard of _worms_? Even _I_ know what a worm is!" Kairi giggled.

Roxas hung his head low, blushing with embarrassment.

Ansem coughed into his fist. "Excuse me; I have a meeting to rush to," he said before turning and leaving quickly in graceful steps, but not before sending a clueless-looking Sora a threatening glare.

"So who're you?" Kairi asked Sora giddily, forgetting all about the silent Roxas.

"I'm Roxas' brother, Sora!" He replied just as giddily.

Roxas frowned deeper at that. '_He's not my brother…' _He kept telling himself.

"What's your name?" Sora continued, grinning friendly at Kairi.

"I'm Kairi!" Then she turned back to say something to the silver-head through her shoulder. "Riku, you have to introduce to Sora too! He's so nice!"

"…" Riku stared back at Sora's goofy grin quietly. "So you're Sora huh?"

"Yup!" Sora nodded quickly with an innocent expression.

Suddenly, Riku remembered his father's words to him before he'd left: "You're going to meet a little prince there named Sora... Your goal is to be his friend. His best friend," then smirking darkly, his father had added, "The best way to beat your enemy is to… _join them_."

Trying his best, he managed to smile back a little at the goofy prince.

"Hey. I'm Riku."

**End of flashback**

-o-O-o-

___**Five Months Later…**_

_Inside a carriage on its way to Twilight castle…_

"Father is expecting you to have the information by now," Zexion muttered quietly at his brother sitting opposite of him near the window.

"I know," Riku replied coldly.

"He is waiting for us at the castle. And he will want to hear results from you," Zexion sneered suddenly. "Too bad you have failed him… once again."

"Shut up!" He snapped at him irritatedly. "I'll find him in time alright?"

"You better hope so," Zexion's expression darkened. "If he turns up at the wrong place and time, then our operation will be meaningless. Do not forget it is our priority, our _obligation_ to restore our family's dignity…" He glared at his brother hard. "_Nothing_ else matters."

"…" Riku turned his head to stare out the window thoughtfully.

"Have you heard something from Kairi? Perhaps _she_ knows where he is," his brother asked curiously all of a sudden, getting back to the subject.

"No. She has no idea."

"Are you certain?"

"Yeah."

"Hmm…" Zexion reflected thoughtfully to himself.

"Rumors say he's got back to take his studies seriously this time. Don't know where. It seems unlikely, but I doubt he is loafing around either..."

"What do you presume he is doing?"

Riku shook his head slowly. "It's hard to tell with him… He's unpredictable."

"Well Father is going to expect some answers. You must find out."

Riku glared at him hard. "I said I will!" He spat out irritatedly.

-o-O-o-


	11. Hidden Feelings

Chapter 11: _Hidden Feelings_

_Early morning at the royal garden, having tea…_

"The council and I have agreed that your marriage ceremony would take place after one month from now," Queen Elena announced to her son and his fiancée at the table. "I suggest that you start preparing yourselves for the occasion at the mean time. It is always best to be ahead of things."

"One month? Isn't that too early?" Roxas said unsurely.

"Why? Is His Majesty perhaps having second thoughts?" Marluxia retorted stiffly.

"No!" Roxas replied quickly, glaring at him. "I just thought—"

"It doesn't matter," His mother interrupted him. "The council has already decided. It is official."

"Well since you have already planned everything, what are you consulting me now for?" Roxas asked with a hint of annoyance.

"We need your approval. You are the king," Ansem stated calmly.

"I say one month is too early. Postpone it."

Marluxia and Ansem glanced at the Queen for help.

"Don't look at my mother! You take orders from me!" Roxas snapped, standing up from his seat. Beside him, Naminé eyed him sympathetically.

The Queen sighed tiredly and put her tea down before staring hard at her son. "Roxas. You are still young and inexperienced. Let us handle these things until you are more capable."

Roxas sat back slowly, still annoyed.

"Are you alright?" Naminé asked him softly, placing a caring hand on his on the table.

He responded with a quick, reassuring smile. "Let's go," he got up after glaring at his mother and then turned and stomped off. Naminé quickly stood up too and followed him.

Once the pair had left, Marluxia turned to the Queen casually. "His brother is coming back soon isn't he?"

She nodded calmly while taking a sip of her tea. "Yes. He has to come back in time for his brother's wedding after all. It is an important occasion."

"Why do you want him here Your Majesty? I am very curious," Ansem asked.

"It is time he proved himself useful. I want to use him to further develop our bonds with our allies," she replied practically. "It is fortunate that he got a handsome face like his brother's, otherwise we wouldn't know what to do with him…"

"Do you have a plan in mind for him?" Ansem blinked with surprise.

"Yes," the Queen smiled slyly. "I do."

-o-O-o-

"Are you alright?" Naminé asked her fiancé worriedly once they were alone in his office.

Roxas sighed heavily while slumping down on the nearest sofa. "It's frustrating… everyone is trying to control me… It's making me feel… trapped."

"…" Naminé watched him sympathetically in silence.

Then he moved a hand behind his head and added softly, "It's not like I don't want to marry you, Naminé… I just hate it when everything seems forced…" He paused and stared down at his feet hesitantly. "I-I…" Looking up, he saw that Naminé was completely spacing off, staring away in deep thought.

It wasn't the first time she had done that, Roxas noted with a sad frown. For the past five months, Naminé was depressed and distant. She would flinch every time he came close to her, let alone touch her. It made him suspicious to the point that he began to suspect that she might be seeing someone else.

'_What is she hiding from me?'_ Roxas thought frustratedly, getting irritated.

Suddenly, he marched over to her and cupped her chin.

"R-Roxas…?" A startled Naminé blinked at him in shock, wide-eyed as abruptly crashed his lips onto hers in a passionate kiss. She whimpered, caught off-guard, her fists slowly clenching tight by her sides. She remained immobile as she let Roxas kiss her, trying to make herself bear it and resist the impulse to push him away.

_"Na~mi~né~."_

Sora's grinning face flashed in her mind for an instant.

_'Sora…?'_

A single tear trickled down her face.

Suddenly, Roxas pulled back and stared into her eyes devastatedly. "I'm sorry…" He wiped off the tear from her cheek with his hand, caressing her face gently. "I didn't mean to hurt you…"

Naminé barely shook her head at him, trying hard to swallow down a sob. _'Why… Why so suddenly…His voice keeps haunting me… why? Still, I…'_

"Naminé?" Roxas' extremely concerned voice brought her briefly back to reality.

She looked up into Roxas' sapphire blue eyes numbly. The tears in her eyes blurred her vision and somehow, through them, she saw Sora's ocean blue eyes smiling at her instead.

'_I can still feel the gentle touch of his lips on mine… that day in front of the lake… he looked at me with those blue eyes…'_

Roxas grabbed both of her shoulders tightly and started shaking her. "Naminé? Naminé! What's wrong with you? You're scaring me… Naminé!"

Suddenly, Naminé fell to her knees on the ground, slipping down from Roxas' grip. She buried her face into her hands and began sobbing uncontrollably. Roxas stared down at her in shock, frozen in his state.

_'Why is fate so cruel…?'_

-o-O-o-

_Later, at Naminé's chamber…_

"Naminé, are you sure you're alright? You've just broke down right in front of me… I'm worried…" Roxas studied her with concern, sitting on a chair by her bed.

"I'm _fine_ Roxas…" Naminé smiled at him reassuringly. "I-I just remembered something very sad…" Then when she noticed Roxas about to say something, she quickly added, "And it doesn't involve you Roxas. I promise you."

"…." He studied her doubtfully.

"Really," she insisted, smiling wider.

"You aren't going to tell me what's bothering you, are you?"

"…"

"…"

She hung her head lower, sighing. "I'm sorry, Roxas…"

He let out a defeated sigh and slumped back on his seat dejectedly. "I feel so useless…"

"All I need is some rest then I'll be fine. Really."

"Alright…" He stood up slowly and started making his way to the door. Then he stopped at the doorway and turned to her through his shoulder.

He sighed helplessly again. "I'll come back to check on you later…" He muttered before exiting and closing the door behind him gently.

Naminé let out a long, heavy sigh.

Moments later, Selphie busted in and slammed the door shut behind her quickly.

"Selphie…" Naminé blinked at her in surprise from the bed.

"PRINCESS! I HEARD WHAT HAPPENED! IS EVERYTHING OKAY? ARE YOU ALRIGHT?"

Namine smiled at her wearily. "I'm fine, Selphie… don't worry."

"Are you sure…?" She narrowed her eyes at her skeptically. Then quietly, she asked, "Is this about him again? Is this about Prince Sor—"

"No it was not," Naminé retorted firmly, cutting her off. "He was just a childish fantasy I had. I'm over it now. I know better."

"Princess…" Selphie started muttering sadly, staring at Naminé sympathetically.

"He and I weren't close to start with…" Naminé said softly, staring at her lap with a lifeless look on her face. Then a small, bitter smile stretched across her lips. "But, Roxas… He is always by my side, wherever and whenever I needed him… He's always there. We're meant to be."

"But…"

"All I need is time," Naminé looked up at the brunette stubbornly. "Then I'll be able to move on completely and get on with my life…Really."

"But princess… the reason the Prince left was probably because we were right… he DOES have feelings for you!"

"…"

"The reason he left may be because he's STARTED growing feelings for you! Are you going to back away _now_? When you've come this far?"

"Then he did the right thing…" Naminé insisted emotionlessly. "We can't be together…"

"Princess!" Selphie yelled frustratedly at the lifeless blonde.

"…."

"I wonder how Prince Sora is feeling right now…" Selphie wondered out loud all of a sudden, smiling sadly. "Suppose he likes you too… it would be so sad! Both of you suffering alone like this…"

Naminé gripped her bed sheet tighter; her head hanging even lower to hide her face.

"Princess…?"

"P-Please leave me alone Selphie. I need to be alone…"

"Princess… I know how hard this if for you. I'll be here whenever you need me."

"Thank you, Selphie."

After Selphie exited the room and closed the door behind her, Naminé lied back on her bed and tried to sleep the pain she was feeling away….

-o-O-o-

_Very early the Next Morning, Ansem's Office…._

"So? What did you wake me up so early in the morning for?" Roxas asked the older man grumpily as soon as he came into his office.

Ansem coughed into his fist. "We have guests… who wish to speak to you about an urgent matter," he motioned at three beautiful ladies sitting on a sofa behind him.

They quickly stood up and bowed at Roxas formally. "Your Majesty!"

"Lady Rikku, Lady Yuna and Lady Paine," Ansem introduced them one by one. "They are female Knights from the Spira Kingdom."

"Female knights?" Roxas blinked at them in surprise. "That's rare…"

"What are you implying there you sexist!" The one named Rikku blurted out angrily while raising a shaking fist at him.

"Rikku! Mind your manners, he's the King!" Yuna scolded the blonde immediately.

"He looks too young to be a king…" Paine murmured.

"Can you be a little more considerate? His father died recently!" Yuna hissed at them.

Roxas smiled weakly. "Umm… so, what do you want?"

"Ah yes!" Yuna jumped back a little to face Roxas. "As you've just been informed, we are female knights from the Spira Kingdom. Our mission is to find a missing heiress to one of the noblest family in our Kingdom!"

"Our missing heiress's mother ran away from home to marry a commoner…" Paine continued quietly. "We know that she and her husband died during the plague. But new resources told us that she had a daughter and that her daughter survived. Her mother intentionally kept her existence secret from His Lordship until her death. What we don't know is her current location."

"King Yuri's only other child died recently in an accident…" Rikku said sadly. "And now His Majesty has gotten very ill and weak… His only wish left in the world is to find the only heir to his title and fortunate before he dies!"

"Recently, we have received information from a trustworthy source that they'd seen someone who resembles His Majesty's grandchild somewhere in this castle!" Yuna added excitedly.

"Do you have any idea who she could be?" Rikku asked eagerly.

"Here is a portrait of her mother..." Yuna showed him a small portrait of a brown-haired lady with emerald eyes.

"…." Roxas didn't even need to look at the portrait to know who they were looking for.

"Well?" The three ladies questioned hopefully at the same time.

"What are you going to do once you find her?" He asked quietly.

"We're going to take her back to our kingdom of course!" Yuna told him with a wink.

"So she can live happily ever after where she rightfully belongs!" Rikku added playfully, jumping a little while raising a cheerful fist in the air.

Ansem studied the portrait in Roxas' hand in awe. "Well what do you know…She looks _exactly_ like—"

Roxas pushed the portrait onto his face suddenly to shut him up. "Sorry. It doesn't resemble anyone we know in the castle."

Ansem blinked at him in shock. "What are yo—"

"Can you please leave now? We're done here," Roxas told them curtly.

The three eyed him doubtfully.

"Are you sure you're telling the truth…Your Majesty?" Yuna asked skeptically.

"Do you think I'm lying?"

"N-No… we just assumed…"

"Can you just _leave_?"

"Hmph, how rude!" Rikku pouted angrily, storming out of the room, followed by the other two.

Before exiting, Yuna told him firmly over her shoulder, "We'll be staying in the castle for a while. If she's here, we'll find her…We _never_ give up on a mission!" And with that, she closed the door behind them.

"What are you _doing_?" Ansem barked at the blonde once their guests were out. "It is _her_—very obvious! You should have told them! …Wait! Where are you going?"

Roxas peeked outside the room, looking left and right to check if those girls were around still or not. When he made sure it was clear, he speed-walked toward the library.

Ansem quickly hurried after him. "What are you _doing_?" He hissed.

"They're going to take her away from here! She's an important friend to me, so I can't let that happen!"

"This is not a rational decision for a king to make! Think clearly!" He grabbed Roxas's arm and tried to whirl him around to face him.

Roxas violently shook off his hand. "I can't let them take her away!"

"My _God_! Do you hear yourself talking? You are behaving selfishly, you cannot—"

Roxas ignored him, turned back and kept going.

"Your Majesty!" Ansem yelled frustratedly. "Where do you think you are going?"

"I'm going to hide Olette!"

_Meanwhile, at the library..._

"OLETTE!"

Olette almost jumped, dropping the books she was carrying. She groaned, frustrated. "Look what you made me do..." She kneeled down to pick them up while glaring up at Roxas.

"O-Olette! Never mind those! Come with me!"

She stopped, blinking up at him suspiciously. "Where?"

"Never mind, just come with me!" He grabbed her arm and tried to pull her up to go with him.

She pulled it back. "No, I'm not going unless you tell me where!"

"We're, uh..." He looked around them, thinking quickly. "Th-That's right!" He exclaimed hastily all of a sudden. "Naminé and I were going to town today, to shop for a wedding dress, but since she isn't feeling well lately, we decided to take you instead of her, y-you're nearly the same size aren't you?"

"..." She stared at him blankly. "So you're saying you want me to try some wedding dresses for Naminé?"

He nodded.

"I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I can't do that."

"Why?" He asked in annoyance.

"It's princess Naminé's wedding. She should pick her own dress, not me."

"Naminé doesn't mind—"

"I'm not going Roxas," Olette glared at him defiantly. He glared back quietly.

_Silence._

"I'm the King and you do everything I—"

"You _bastard_! I _knew _you'd say that! Ughh... I want to- I want to _strangle _you!"

"Later, for now let's hurry!" He took her hand and pulled her up.

She blushed slightly at their hands. "W-Wait a minute! Why are we in such a hurry?"

He ignored her, dashing with her all the way to the carriage waiting for them outside.

_Meanwhile, with Roxas and Olette alone inside the carriage…_

"Roxas! Tell me what's going on! Why are you taking me instead of Princess Naminé? Roxas! Are you listening to me? Roxas!"

An absentminded Roxas turned away from the window, and blinked at her confusedly. "Huh?"

Olette sighed. "Is there something you're not telling me?"

"…"

"_Roxasss_!"

He quickly snapped out of his daze and looked at her apologetically. "Sorry, I'm not in the mood to talk right now."

She huffed and stared away out the window while Roxas looked out the window at his own side, lost in his thoughts…

_Later, at the store…_

"We'd open our store anytime for you Your Majesty! It's an honor to have you here in person! Thank you for coming!" Bowed the store's owner before Roxas at the entrance.

Olette stepped into the store to Roxas's side carefully, looking around at the fancy dresses displayed in awe.

"We need a wedding dress… for her," Roxas ordered bluntly, pointing at Olette beside him.

"Of course! Right this way milady!" The owner quickly dragged a startled Olette with him to the back of his shop.

_Later…_

Olette stepped outside of the trying room shyly, wearing a beautiful white, strapless wedding gown.

Unconsciously, Roxas was gaping openly at her.

"H-How does it look?" She asked, holding up part of the gown before wincing slightly at his look. "Bad…?"

Roxas continued to gape at her, speechless.

"Bad? Preposterous!" Scoffed the owner by her side. "You look breathtaking! I believe His Majesty is just being overwhelmed by the sight of you!"

Roxas quickly snapped off his daze and turned away to hide his blush. "Y-You look… different."

"He means, 'you look beautiful'!" Translated the owner in a whisper, secretly winking at Olette, who smiled politely at the floor, not believing it.

Suddenly, the store owner pulled out a tiara out of nowhere. "The final touch…" He put it on Olette and stepped back, smiling. "Perfect! You look absolutely stunning, Princess!"

"P-Princess?" Olette blushed, looking away and chuckling embarrassedly. "I'm no princess."

"Indeed you are! One of the prettiest princesses I've ever seen at that!"

She took off the tiara, smiling weakly. "I'm not that pretty, and I'm not a princess… I'm just a simple girl."

"…" Roxas turned back to stare at her thoughtfully when she'd said that.

Olette caught his stare and smirked at him playfully. "What? Do you, perhaps, think I'm pretty too?"

Roxas became flustered all of a sudden, caught off-guard. "H-Huh?"

Olette giggled before smiling warmly at an old memory. "Remember when we first met? You said that I was plain looking…" She pouted at him playfully again.

"I said that?" Roxas blinked at her obliviously, making her frown slightly.

She quickly turned away from him all of a sudden to stare at herself at the mirror. "I-I'm sure Naminé will look ten times prettier in this dress. I hope she likes it…" She said softly, smiling a little at her own reflection.

"…"

Olette let out a sigh when she realized he was lost in his thoughts again and turned back to face him patiently. "So is that all? Because I have to go back soon… there's a lot of work to be done! Your wedding ceremony is fast approaching y'know!" Before she was able to step back into the changing room to change, the owner came back out of nowhere and caught her arm.

"Hold on Princess! We need to get you a pair of heels and jewelry first!" And with that, he dragged a troubled Olette to another side of his shop.

Later, the store owner brought a beautiful pair of crystal white heels to Roxas standing not very far next to Olette.

"What?" Roxas blinked at him confusedly. "Why are you giving these to me?"

"These are one of the finest heels designed especially for such a beautiful royalty…" He turned to gaze at Olette dreamily, making Roxas frown in annoyance for a reason he himself couldn't figure out. "I think it is best that His Majesty assists the princess with putting them on!"

"WHAT?" Olette cried incredulously, blushing slightly. "Th-That's unnecessary. I'll put them on myself!" She hurriedly tried to take the pair of heels from the older man.

Roxas snatched them before her though. "Show me your foot," He calmly ordered her, casually kneeling down in front of her legs.

"H-Hey! Don't think that just because you're the king and my friend that you can boss me around and keep doing special favors for me whenever you feel like it! Now give me those!" She tried to take the heels from Roxas, but he pulled them back swiftly.

He raised an eyebrow at her. "What's the big deal? I'm just trying to help you put them on…" He grabbed one of her feet to put on the heel. That was when she abruptly kicked his jaw with her foot.

The two guards in the background gasped, hesitating whether to interfere or not. Roxas calmly waved at them to stand down. "It's alright," He told them with a small, reassuring smile.

Olette was blushing a bit, looking somewhat guilty. Roxas ignored her and picked up her foot again to put on the heels. "There. All done…" He looked up at her once he was done, grinning teasingly. "Was it hard?"

She pouted cutely, looking away swiftly, her blush deepening, but Roxas didn't notice it. "Sh-Shut up! You still should have come with princess Naminé instead of me…"

"I told you… she isn't feeling well lately," muttered Roxas quietly.

Olette studied him silently for a while. "Don't tell me in these past months… things between you and the princess haven't progressed at all?"

"…"

She sighed at him wearily. "You can be pathetic sometimes, you know that."

"…"

"See! You should have taken Naminé out with you instead! That'd have _definitely_ brought you two closer…" She continued scolding him. "And while you're at it, you should confess too! You probably haven't already, have you? I knew it…" She sighed again. "You kiss her, hug her, and hold her hands… but you _don't_ tell her you love her…" She rolled her eyes. "What a dope. That's the most important part! Remember to have a good talk with her, got it?" She nudged an absentminded Roxas' shoulder lightly to get his attention.

Roxas looked up at her calmly with a suspicious look. "Why are you talking about Naminé and me?"

Olette stepped back a little nervously, caught off-guard. "H-Heh?"

Suddenly, the store's owner popped up out of the blue between them, holding up two necklaces, an emerald and a sapphire one. "And finally… please choose the necklace of your preference, my lovely princess."

Olette shook her head quickly at them, scoffing. "No way in hell we're buying any of these! They look very expensive! A waste of good money!"

The store owner eyed her oddly while Roxas chuckled a bit before taking the emerald one. "Let's take this one," he turned to Olette, smiling. "It matches your eyes, doesn't it?"

She gave him a skeptical look. "May I remind you…" Olette began to tell him slowly. "They're not for me. They're for _Naminé_."

"…" Roxas froze silently, wide-eyed and clearly shocked at himself.

Olette rolled her eyes and left him to go to the changing room to change.

_Later, inside the carriage, on their way back to the castle…_

Roxas was gazing out the window by his side, sitting next to Olette, looking completely consumed by his thoughts.

'_Should I tell her about what the female knights said or not? It's her right to know, but…' _He stared at Olette secretly, who was gazing out her own window. _'Why is it so hard?' _He remembered his meeting earlier this morning with the female knights._'Why did I react like that when they told me they're taking her away? And…back at the store… Why did I think that the emerald necklace was for her, even though it should have been for Naminé?' _He sighed mentally. _'What's wrong with me…?'_

_Later outside, at the castle's back entrance…_

Roxas and Olette's carriage had just arrived. Roxas stepped out first and walked over to Ansem waiting for them there.

"Have they left?" The blonde king asked Ansem immediately, referring to the female knights.

"Yes Your Majesty," nodded Ansem, bowing his head a little at him. "They have left to search the town earlier."

Roxas sighed in relief before walking ahead past Ansem.

"But," Ansem continued, turning around to Roxas. "They said that they will be back. They will not leave town until they find her. So I suggest that you stop this foolish act and hand her over to them alread—"

Roxas ignored him, continuing to walk. Watching the young king leave, Ansem sighed…

_**Flashback**_

Just as Ansem was about to enter the dining hall for breakfast, he found none other than Yuna, Rikku and Paine coming his way. He stepped away from the door and turned to them questioningly.

"We haven't found the princess yet," said Yuna, their leader, stiffly.

"I see," Ansem nodded slowly, pretending to look oblivious. "That is… unfortunate."

"Don't bother treating us like dummies ya old geezer!" Pointed Rikku at the older man accusingly with an angry pout.

'_OLD GEEZER? That little brat…'_ Hissed Ansem mentally, his left eye twitching in irritation.

"We know you've lied to us," added Paine coldly.

Ansem looked away nervously.

"We've asked around…" Yuna said with a triumphant smile. "Everyone was acting quite suspicious. It seemed pretty clear to us that you've ordered your people to be quiet."

"So where's she?" Yelled Rikku. "Where are you hiding our princess?"

"W-Won't you join us for breakfast?"

"…" The three knights glared at him hard. He smiled back politely.

"No thanks, we're off to search the town!" Announced Yuna stubbornly, stomping past him. Rikku and Paine instinctively followed.

Ansem sighed to himself in relief once they were out of his sight. But then Yuna stopped suddenly and turned around, startling the older man. "We _will_ come back here if we don't find her there. We won't sit still until we find what we're looking for!" And with that, she turned swiftly and left with her girls.

'_This has to stop. I must talk to the Queen about this matter as soon as possible! His Majesty's act could bring us war!' _Thought Ansem panicky, hurriedly going off to find the Queen.

_**End of Flashback**_

Ansem then noticed as Olette slowly stepped down the carriage. "Olette," he called out calmly. "May I have a moment with you?"

She stopped hesitantly and turned back to him. "Yes?" Then quickly she corrected, "Y-Yes my lord?"

"Has His Majesty said anything to you…?"

She blinked confusedly. "Like what?"

'_She appears clueless…'_ Smiling a little, the older man shook his head. "No matter. You may leave."

She nodded, still looking confused though, then, shrugging a bit; she turned and left to continue her job as a librarian.

'_So His Majesty did not tell her…'_ He sighed. _'I guess I did well by informing our Queen. I have faith in Her Highness to solve this mess!'_

_Meanwhile, gathering around a table for teatime at the royal garden…_

The Queen, Marluxia, and a few other gentlemen/women were having tea and chatting.

Naminé had left them shortly to sit next the fountain, watching them laugh and talk from afar. Then she gazed down at the water and sighed out his name in her head involuntarily, _'Sora…'_

"Thinking about _him_ are you?"

Naminé was startled to find the Queen herself standing in front of her. She quickly stood on her feet and bowed her head. "Y-Your Majesty!"

The Queen, however, calmly gazed up at the sky, sighing heavily. "I… I tried very hard, you see…"

Naminé looked up slowly to stare curiously at Queen Elena.

"I tried anything and everything to kill my husband's love for Mina, Sora's mother…. But I couldn't do it. It was impossible for me."

"…" Naminé was listening to her carefully.

"I don't believe in the word 'love' as others define it. To me, love is but an attachment. Some of them are strong, some are fickle..." Then, she looked down at Naminé suddenly with a stern expression, alarming her. "Sora is not in love with you," She claimed stiffly, making Naminé's expression fall devastatedly. "You should let go of your attachment to him already and move on."

And then, glaring at Naminé grimly, she added, "My son, Roxas, has been very… troubled lately. I think it's your fault…" She raised her eyebrow at her coldly. "Don't you agree? Even while being engaged to him, your head is still filled with thoughts of his brother. My poor Roxas would be devastated if he knew…"

Naminé looked up instantly at the mention of Roxas, a deeply guilty expression taking over her face that she couldn't hide.

"Forget about Sora. He doesn't care about you. You are merely a sister-in-law to him. I'd be surprised if he even remembers your name…"

"…" Naminé hung her head down silently, hiding her miserable frown.

"Now wipe off that frown and come join our guests. You should practice how to mingle with people," Elena told her curtly, turning around to return to their guests.

Staring at her reflection on the surface of the fountain's water, Naminé studied her lifeless expression. _'Her Majesty is right... I can't keep going like this... I shouldn't make Roxas worry anymore...I am his fiancée,' s_he stated in her head for probably the millionth time since she'd met her fiancé's brother. _'Sora is just my...'_ She paused, the words she was about to remind herself with too painful to bear. "...brother-in-law..." She finished out loud, her voice quivering, resisting to sob.

A single tear fell onto the water of the fountain and corrupted her reflection.


	12. Selphie's Plan

Chapter 12: _Selphie's Plan_

_Later, with Roxas and Naminé, on their way to the dining hall…_

"Roxas… are you sure you're alright? You look like you're troubled over something…" Naminé asked, staring worriedly at Roxas who was walking by her side . "I-Is it about me?"

"No, i-it has nothing to do with you..." He smiled at her reassuringly. "It's just…"

"The Olette matter? I heard about it from Selphie…" She carefully studied her fiancé before softly asking, "Will you be okay?"

"She's an important friend to me…" Muttered Roxas quietly, staring downwards with a thoughtful expression. Suddenly, he panicked, looking up, and adding nervously, "O-Of course Hayner, Pence, Axel and Demyx are too! Th-They're all important to me!"

Naminé watched him carefully, unconsciously starting to frown. _'I wonder if something happened when he took Olette instead of me to the town…. Did she…maybe… confess….?'_

_Late at night, at the library…._

Olette was staying up late, busy assorting books on one of the shelves. She stopped and let out a heavy sigh suddenly, exhausted.

Meanwhile, Roxas was walking by himself outside at the hallway, on his way to the library. He felt restless knowing that the knights were looking for her, afraid that they'd find her and take her away. When he noticed Olette still working inside, he sighed mentally, shaking his head. '_She must be exhausted…'_

_**Flashback, earlier the same day**_

"That Olette will never learn!" Huffed Hayner irritatedly while complaining to Roxas about their friend. "Would it kill her to relax once in a while? Why can't she be like the other girls and worry about her love life more instead of always worrying about _work_?"

Pence sighed sadly. "We might not always be there to watch over her…"

"She probably knows that but still thinks she can take care of herself alone," Roxas told them, smiling wearily. "You know how Olette is…"

"So full of pride…" The other boys sighed out at the same time.

Pence turned to Roxas suddenly, grinning slyly. "Say, Roxas… You really know Olette well!"

Hayner grinned mischievously too and put a hand over a flustered Roxas's shoulder. "This is unusual! Why you lookin' so flustered, huh, Rox?" Teased Hayner, poking at the young king's chest playfully.

"You and Olette know exactly how the other feels! It's so weird but mystical! You're like soulmates huh!" Pence grinned while throwing his hands behind his head. They laughed as Roxas pushed off Hayner's arm, pouting at them angrily.

"Get back to work!" Ordered Roxas coldly, smirking as their grins immediately slipped off.

_**End of Flashback**_

'_Why does she like to work so much? Even though she's actually a…' _Roxas stopped abruptly just outside the library door when he heard voices coming from inside…

_Meanwhile, inside the library…_

"Lady Olette," Greeted Lord Zexion formally as he was approaching Olette from behind.

Olette almost jumped, startled, and turned around swiftly. "O-Oh. Lord Zexion. Are you here to read again? At this hour? You scared me!"

"May I assist you with these?" He asked softly, pointing at the books in her arms.

She shook her head, smiling politely. "Thank you, but I can do it by myself. You can go ahead and read if you wish. The library is open for everyone at any time!" She smiled at him politely one more time before turning back to the shelf.

Meanwhile, Zexion was watching her carefully, slowly starting to smirk behind her back. _'Olette… my dear Olette…. Who'd have thought that you are, in fact, royalty? I am truly blessed…' _He thought while taking silent steps toward an oblivious Olette. _'For now I can finally….'_

Abruptly, he grabbed her arm, whirled her around and pushed her hard against the shelf, catching her off-guard.

"Wh-What are you doing?" Gasped Olette in shock, wincing and struggling against him.

He held her tight in her place and stared at her face needingly. "Olette… You are mine…" Slowly, he leaned in toward her neck.

"Are you out of your mind?" Yelled Olette while struggling against him. "Let go of me! Let go!"

Roxas was about to impulsively barge in there to rescue Olette, outraged, but just before he could, Hayner and Pence rushed in before him. He hesitated then stopped, watching them while hiding behind the half-open door.

"Let go of her you bastard!" Yelled Hayner furiously, turning the silver-head around and giving him a hard punch on his cheek.

Pence quickly rushed to Olette's side and held her shoulders, checking to see if his friend was okay.

The silver-head spat out blood at the floor, scoffing at Hayner and Pence. "Low lives. Know your place! I will make sure you pay for this!" He added before turning around and leaving in a huff.

Roxas quickly hid again in the shadows once Zexion came out his way. Then, with a grim expression, Roxas set off to his office….

_Later, at the King's office…_

"You wished to see me Your Majesty?" Asked Zexion casually, his smug smirk never leaving his face. "I wonder what it is you want at this hour, precisely…"

Without warning, Roxas turned around swiftly and pushed Zexion back to the wall, seething with rage. "I know what you tried to do to Olette you sick bastard!"

Zexion continued smirking at the blonde however, almost mockingly.

Roxas pulled him and then pushed him back against the wall harder. "IF YOU DARE COME NEAR OLETTE AGAIN, I'LL FORCE YOU AND YOUR CREEPY FAMILY OUT OF MY KINGDOM!"

Zexion merely snickered mockingly in response.

"You're lucky I haven't given the order already! What you tried to do to Olette, I will never forget it! I'll be sure to keep a close eye on you from now on!"

The silver-head scoffed at the ceiling loudly, catching Roxas off-guard, then he looked down again at him, sneering. "Your Majesty is a hypocrite…keeping Olette here as if she is your property, when you're already engaged to Princess Naminé. You are just as worse as I am!"

Roxas froze, shocked, slowly and unconsciously letting go of Zexion, who huffed again while fixing his clothes and then left the office with his head held high.

'_He's right_…' Roxas thought painfully, frowning. '_I don't have the right to keep Olette here…It's a choice she has to make herself; I shouldn't have kept it from her… Ansem is right…. I am being selfish…'_

_Next day…_

After exiting her room the next morning, fully dressed and prepared for a party tonight, a social gathering with royal guests from a faraway kingdom, Naminé noticed a familiar face standing outside Sora's room, frowning at the door dejectedly.

"_Kairi_?" Naminé approached her curiously. She hadn't seen the red-head since five months ago as well.

Kairi turned around swiftly and smiled when she saw the blonde. "Oh, Naminé! Good morning!"

"Good morning," Naminé smiled back politely.

"You look beautiful…"

"Thank you. So do you."

"Are you going down for the party now?"

"Yes. What about you? Aren't you going as well?"

"Umm… Yeah," she looked down with a slight frown, suddenly depressed.

"What's the matter?" Naminé examined the red-head worriedly.

Kairi quickly looked up and forced a cheerful smile. "I was hoping I'd drag Sora with me! Too bad he isn't back yet!"

Naminé stared at the red-head trying so hard to sound cheerful sympathetically.

"Even if he was here, he would never let me drag him to a party anyway…he hates royal parties… Hehe… That dummy…" Then, all of a sudden, she stopped giggling and frowned again miserably at the floor.

"…." Naminé frowned sadly at the red-head.

Kairi sighed. "I really need to speak to him… Since five months ago…" Suddenly, she became angry. "That stupid idiotic dummy! Where the heck is he? Riku and I are trying so hard to find him!"

Naminé smiled weakly. "Rumors going around say he is studying…"

"I know, but there wasn't any word from him from Traverse Kingdom at all! It's where he left to 'study' right?" She crossed her arms angrily. "Hmph! If you ask me, he's probably lying! A lazyass idiot like Sora is probably loafing around where no one can bother him!"

"…" Naminé smiled bitterly at the red-head as she was talking.

"When he gets back here, I'll give him a piece of my mind!"

"I wish you luck with him," Naminé blurted out suddenly, catching the red-head off-guard.

Kairi turned around to the blonde swiftly, blushing bright red. "Wh-What?"

Naminé forced a wider smile. "You like each other I thought…"

Kairi blushed even redder, pouting. "Wh-Who told you…"

Naminé giggled sweetly to herself at Kairi's cute reaction.

"I-It is that dummy who likes me!" Kairi blurted out while looking away to hide her blush.

Naminé giggled again despite the wrenching pain in her chest. "Well I'll see you later at the party Kairi. Take care."

"L-Later…" Kairi replied meekly while still looking away.

Suddenly, Naminé stopped and turned around. "Kairi?"

Kairi turned to the blonde, blinking curiously. "Yeah?"

"Stay by his side… Promise me that."

"I-I will," Kairi blinked at her slowly, surprised and confused. "Why are you…?"

"He is going to be my brother-in-law…" Naminé forced a polite smile. "I want him to be happy."

Kairi smiled back. "Su-Sure…" She replied shyly.

As Naminé turned around, the smile she'd been forcing out immediately disappeared and was replaced by a frown. She bit down on her lower lip to keep herself from weeping, and went to look for Roxas.

_Meanwhile, at the library_

"I'm alright guys," Olette smiled tiredly at her friends. "You should get back to your do your jobs instead of standing here worrying about me."

"B-But yesterday…!" Hayner tried to argue.

"I think Lord Zexion was just playing a cruel trick on me," she shrugged. "You know how royalties are. What other reason would he want to do anything with me?"

Hayner and Pence looked at her wearily and sighed.

"For someone so smart, you are so clueless…" Pence muttered, shaking his head.

"Yeah! You're pretty cute Olette!" Hayner blurted out, and then blushed embarrassedly when he realized what he'd just said, making Pence and Olette laugh. "I-I mean it from a friend's point of view!"

Olette stopped laughing suddenly, not one to loaf around from her job. "Anyway, I better get back to work. There's a party tonight and Maleficent needs my help looking for some ingredients… See you later guys!"

_Later, at the castle's wine cellar…_

"Alright… which kind of wine did Maleficent say she needed again…?" Olette muttered to herself thoughtfully as she scans the long shelves in the wine cellar. "Oh, right…this one." She extended her hard to pull down the needed wine bottle from the shelf.

"Did you prepare the poison?"

Her hand froze midway. The suspicious, whispering voice was coming from right behind that shelf.

"Yes."

"Good. You know what you have to do right? Just put it in the King's drink during the party, when the time's right."

Olette's eyes went wide in horror, she almost gasped out loud but luckily she covered her mouth just in time to muffle the sound.

"…"

"What?"

"I thought I heard something… Maybe I should go check…"

She heard the sound of a sword being drawn and froze in fear, her heart beating panicky in her chest. Hastily, she thought about dashing to the exit…

"Hey!" The other person shouted suddenly. "There's no one here, I've made sure of that before I came to see you… more importantly, can you tell me who we're doing this for?"

"Hmph!" The other one scoffed. Olette recognized it as a man's voice. "Even I don't know who's behind this…"

"What do you mean?"

"He met me in secret, all covered up. Couldn't tell who he was."

"You must have an idea…"

The man scoffed again. "Just do your job bitch," he hissed impatiently.

"Bastard…" The other person, a woman, retorted with a huff.

Then she heard their footsteps as they were leaving. She lied low and tried to take a peek at them, but it was impossible, all the shelves were filled with wine crates and moving one would most likely make some noise.

The door closed suddenly. _Complete silence._

As Olette sighed out in relief, it suddenly hit her, the conversation she'd just overheard. She froze in horror. _'Oh no….__**Roxas**__… I have to warn him!'_

-X-X-X-

Alone, staring at his formally dressed figure in the mirror, Roxas remembered his mother's words to him when he'd been summoned to her office earlier…

"_Don't forget who you are, my child. You are the king. It is your duty to choose what's right for your kingdom and its people. You __**must **__let go of your attachment to that girl, before you cause the destruction of the kingdom that your father had worked so very hard to build all these years with your foolishness. Can't you see Roxas? You are letting your emotions be your guide! This is not how a proper king should act! Dear…Do not repeat your father's one foolish mistake….."_

He sighed to himself heavily while staring at his reflection on the tall mirror in front of him. He was dressed and ready for tonight's party, which was starting shortly downstairs at the ballroom.

"Your Majesty, are you ready?" Ansem asked from the doorway.

"Hn."

"Excellent. Be sure to come down along with the princess."

As Ansem was about to leave, Roxas asked suddenly, "My brother is going to be there…" He turned to glare at the older man sternly. "Right?"

"To be honest, I do not know," sighed Ansem helplessly. "Y-You understand your brother Your Majesty…" He chuckled nervously. "He does not like royal parties. He does things arbitrarily when he feels like it, so who knows," he shrugged. "In any case… we shall be waiting for you downstairs. Your Majesty," he bowed a little before exiting and closing the door behind him.

Looking at himself in the mirror, Roxas thought determinedly, _'I have to tell Olette the truth myself after the party,' _He grimaced at his reflection. _'Wh-Who knows… Maybe she won't go with them. Maybe she'll choose to stay here… with Hayner, Pence and I….'_ He stared at the mirror hopefully. _'I hope.'_

Meanwhile, Olette was trying to reach Roxas' room in the royal family's chambers area in the high floors, but the guard wouldn't let her pass through to the stairs.

"Let me through! I have to speak to the king! It's very important!"

"You are not permitted to pass through beyond this point."

"Listen to me! There are some people out there trying to harm Roxas, we have to do something to protect him!"

"That's exactly what we're doing lady!"

"No you don't understand! They're going to poison him; we've got to do something! We mustn't let him drink anything suspicious!"

The guard sighed wearily just as Ansem came down the stairs behind him, followed by the Queen.

"What is all the noise about?" Ansem asked irritatedly.

"Your Highness, my lord!" The guard whirled around and bows instantly. "She is requesting to see His Majesty the king."

"He is in danger!" Olette exclaimed.

The Queen snorted once she reached the last step, frowning at Olette distastefully. "Oh, it's you. You just can't leave my son alone, can you? Even going as far as fabricating excuses to see him… How disgraceful! You should be ashamed of yourself!"

"THAT'S NOT TRUE! HE _IS_ IN DANGER, I _SWEAR_! SOMEONE IS TRYING TO POISON HIM! PLEASE!" Then in a softer, pleading tone, "All I ask is that you use the silverware instead of gold. Please."

"Tsk, tsk…" The Queen shook her head at her, sighing wearily. "You're very desperate, aren't you? Why should we believe something you, a commoner, says? You're a deceitful lot."

"Your Majesty, I beg of you!" Begged Olette, bowing pleadingly. "Please, believe me! I'm telling the truth! Roxas—"

"_His Majesty_ Roxas," corrected the Queen with a venomous glare.

Olette rolled her head impatiently. "_His Majesty_ is in danger, some people out there – I heard them talking about planning to poison Ro— His Majesty during the ceremony," She put a hand over her chest, trembling slightly. "I-I am very worried, Your Highness… I fear something bad is going to happen if we don't do something… I can sense it…" She looked up pleadingly at the Queen again. "_Please_ Your Majesty… I am telling the truth, I swear it on my life!"

"Hmph," The Queen looked away haughtily. "You question my ability to provide security and protection to my own son? How dare you!"

"No!" Olette cried frustratedly. "This is not what I meant, I—"

"Guards! Take her to her room; my son is coming down here with Princess Naminé any second! I do not want her here blabbering nonsense when he comes down!"

The guards grabbed both of Olette's arms and dragged her with them down the hallway.

"NO! YOUR HIGHNESS! LORD ANSEM! PLEASE, YOU'VE GOT TO BELIEVE ME; I AM TELLING THE TRUTH! I SWEAR IT!" Cried Olette desperately while struggling against the guards.

Meanwhile, Ansem turned to the Queen apologetically. "I am sorry, Your Highness. She can be a little too paranoid sometimes, especially when it concerns her friends."

"Roxas is not her friend. He is not friends with lowly commoners!" Retorted the Queen icily, completely ignoring Olette's cries in the background.

"Yes, of course," Ansem quickly replied, bowing a bit. "But Olette is no commoner. She is Spira's heiress."

The Queen froze suddenly, her eyes widening. "_She_ is Olette? The missing heiress…?"

Ansem nodded.

The Queen turned to Olette's direction instantly. "Guards!"

The guards holding Olette stopped and turned around questioningly, along with Olette, who stared at the Queen hopefully.

"Escort the princess gently to her room. She will stay there and prepare herself to leave. I will summon the female knights first thing tomorrow. You are to give her anything she wishes," The Queen turned to the confused Olette then. "It was an honor to raise you in our castle all these years; I hope you never forget the hands that fed you…"

"What are you talking about…?" Olette asked quietly in confusion.

The Queen blinked in surprise. "Oh? You don't know?"

"His Majesty hasn't told her yet," Ansem explained.

"Is that so?" The Queen smirked at Olette. "Roxas hasn't told you, has he? Why would he… His wedding to Princess Naminé is approaching; he doesn't have much time in his hands to worry about trivial things…"

"What are you talking about?" Asked Olette frustratedly.

The Queen's evil smirk stretched. "Your dead mother's the daughter of the royal family of Spira."

Olette's froze, her eyes wide open in shock. "E-Eh…?"

"Your Grandfather is searching for his heiress… You. He sent three female knights to find you; they've come here searching for you a few days ago."

"D-Does _he_ know?" Olette asked almost breathlessly after a while.

"Yes. He does. But he never told you, did he? Like I said, he must have had too many other far important things to do," she glared at Ansem. "_We_ should have told you sooner…"

Ansem flinched. "B-But it was the King's ord—" He shut up immediately when the Queen gave him another icy glare.

"…" Olette looked down thoughtfully.

Queen Elena turned to Olette with a seemingly sympathetic and innocent look. "My son can be very irresponsible sometimes. I apologize."

Olette looked up suddenly with a firm look on her face. "Whatever the reason why Roxas didn't tell me, I can understand! He has far more important stuff to take care of, namely his wedding like Your Highness said. So I can completely understand…"

The Queen's eyes narrowed hatefully.

"But that doesn't matter now!" Olette continued, shaking her head jerkily. "We've got to stop those people trying to harm Roxas!"

_Silence._

The Queen scoffed abruptly. "You are very attached to my Roxas…"

Olette stared at the Queen hopefully, expectantly.

"I suggest that you let go of your attachment to him. You are leaving tomorrow, after all," the Queen told her coldly.

"But what about—"

"I have faith in our security," the Queen replied calmly. "This isn't the first time an assassination attempt on a king has been attempted. Now go to your room, Princess, and have a good rest. There's a big day ahead of you tomorrow. I hear the road to the Spira kingdom is very long and tiresome." And with that, the Queen motioned to the guards with a nod to escort Olette away and whirled around to leave with Ansem.

"No! Wait! Please believe me! I am telling the truth!" Olette struggled against the guards as they began dragging her away with them again.

Near the end of the hallway, Olette spotted Roxas coming doing the stairs with Naminé. "ROXAS! ROXAS!" She called out desperately.

Roxas perked up at the sound of her faraway voice, and started looking around him curiously, but at that moment, the guards had dragged her behind the corner, and she was nowhere to be seen.

Roxas shook his head, thinking he was imagining things, and smiled a little at Naminé beside him before following his mother and Ansem to the ballroom.

_Later…_

As soon as the guards left Olette in her room, she'd tried to escape, but unfortunately for her, there was a guard just outside her room, and she had to go back in.

Then she'd tried to escape through the window, but she was in the second floor so it was impossible. Just when she'd thought of making a rope out of tying cloths together, Selphie busted into the room.

"OLETTE! Is everything alright? Why is there a guard outside your room?"

Olette practically ran toward Selphie. "Selphie, it's good to see you! I really need your help!"

The brunette blinked at her confusedly. "Are you in trouble?"

"No, it's Roxas!" Olette began explaining the story hastily. "He…"

_Meanwhile, at the party…_

"Good evening, Queen Elena," a random nobleman greeted the Queen.

The Queen smiled back politely. "Good evening."

"I cannot wait to come to your wedding. I believe it will be fabulous," added the nobleman, smiling at Roxas and Naminé next to the Queen.

Roxas and Naminé smiled back politely.

_Back in Olette's room…_

"OH MY GOD! We have to save the king!" Selphie gasped once Olette had finished explaining everything to her. "We should tell Hayner and Pence too!"

"They're guarding the far east side of the castle, they can't move away from their posts," retorted Olette while pacing around the room. "Axel, Demyx and the rest are already in the party, we can't reach them…"

"Ummm…. AH! I GOT IT!" Exclaimed Selphie suddenly. "Let's talk to Prince Sora! He can help! He can go in and out of the party!""

"We can't even _find_ him!" She shook her head, sighing tiredly. "It'll be a waste of time just _trying_ to find him… Besides, I don't think he's come back even…"

Selphie's shoulders slumped defeatedly. "There's nothing else we can do…."

"There has to be something we can do!" Snapped Olette abruptly. "You know what? I'll just crash the party!" She declared, marching toward the door. "I don't care if I have to wrestle my way there!"

Suddenly, Selphie grabbed Olette's arm before she could open the door. "OLLIE, WAIT!"

Olette stopped and turned to look at the other brunette impatiently.

"I think I have a plan that can get you into the party without any hassle!" Selphie grinned, winking. "Just leave it to me, Selphie, the wonder-maid!"

_Back at the party…_

Naminé had separated from Roxas and the rest to hang out with Princess Kairi, who had just arrived earlier.

"I'm worried about Sora…" Kairi said suddenly.

Naminé turned to stare at the red-head questioningly, alert.

"He's alone," Kairi muttered sadly while gazing downwards.

"He's got friends…" Naminé then added in her head, _'And me.'_

"Yeah, but even with all his friends around, he still lonely. Sora has a habit of always putting on a happy mask, hiding from everyone how he truly feels… Not wishing to worry them…" She trailed off, sighing sadly.

Naminé frowned to herself a bit, jealous that someone else, Kairi, seemed to understand him almost just as much as she did.

"Take care of him," Kairi suddenly said, turning to Naminé seriously.

"H-Huh?" Naminé's eyes widened, panicked.

"You're gonna be his sister-in-law!" Exclaimed Kairi with a short, happy giggle. "You're becoming family soon!"

"O-Oh."

Abruptly, Kairi giggled happily. "You must be very excited; your wedding is very soon!"

"Y-Yes…" Naminé smiled nervously.

"I'm going to look for Riku! See you!" Kairi declared giddily before hurrying off and disappearing in the crowd.

Naminé smiled softly at Kairi's direction. _'Lucky her… She can openly love that person…'_ She sighed miserably to herself. _'Sora… what are you doing right now…?'_

_Meanwhile, with Olette and Selphie, just outside the ballroom, hiding behind a corner…_

Olette was wearing a pretty strapless, green dress with hints of gold; her hair was pulled up in a neat bun, except for two curly strands of hair falling down by both of sides of her face. She was also wearing a princess tiara which Selphie had borrowed from Naminé's room.

"You remember the plan right? You're gonna go in there and pretend to be a princess while keeping a close eye on Prince Roxas!" Whispered Selphie to the other brunette. "Here, use this fan to hide your face!" She gave her a small handheld fan. "Gosh, you look so pretty!" Selphie exclaimed suddenly, checking out Olette in awe. "You really look like a princess!"

"SELPHIE!" Hissed Olette while scanning the large room for Roxas. "Focus! Do you see Roxas?"

"Oh! Oh!" Exclaimed Selphie all of a sudden, jumping from excitement. "No, that's Cloud… WAIT, WAIT! No, that's Demyx… THERE—Nope, it's just some random gentleman… Aww the shish kabab looks soo goood!"

Olette glared at her irritatedly.

"So, what are you planning to do when you find'em?" Asked Selphie curiously, oblivious to Olette's irritation.

"I'm going to stop him from drinking anything."

Selphie blinked dumbly in confusion. "But… if he can't drink… he'll die…"

"I am not going to stop him from drinking ever, just during the party idiot!" Olette snapped.

"Ahhh!" Grinned the cheerful brunette sheepishly.

Olette's eyes widened when she finally spotted Roxas standing next to Naminé. "There!" She went out of their hiding and treaded carefully over to his direction.

"Don't forget to cover your face with the fan!" Selphie whispered hurriedly after her.

_Meanwhile, with Roxas and Naminé_

"I just heard a strange rumor about my brother. They say he's studying," Roxas murmured to Naminé next to him with mild disbelief. "Weird."

"Y-Your brother changed I suppose," she chuckled nervously. "Just like you have."

"Since you got here," noted Roxas quietly, staring at Naminé in a way that was making her feel suspected. Her heart was starting to beat very loudly in her chest as stared back speechlessly at Roxas.

"Maybe I'm thinking too much into it," he smiled at her, shrugging a bit. "Forget about my brother. Let's enjoy ourselves and make the most of another... extremely dull party."

She relaxed and smiled back at him a little before looking back at the party together.


	13. Farewell, Friend

Chapter 13: _Farewell, Friend_

_Meanwhile with Olette…_

She was watching Roxas and Naminé from the distance, scanning around them every now and then for any suspicious activity.

"So far, so good," muttered Olette while fanning herself with the fan. She' was standing alone by herself in a corner, avoiding people as much as possible.

Suddenly, Roxas and Naminé's separated as people quickly swarmed around them. Olette became alert, when at some point; a random nobleman wanted to share a toast with Roxas.

'_POISON?'_ She panicked, quickly rushing over to where Roxas was. Her steps fastened when Roxas was bringing the glass closer to his mouth.

'_NO! ROXAS, DON'T!' _Abruptly, acting on impulse, Olette snatched Roxas's glass from him, startling the blonde, and gulped it all down.

"…" The people around, along with Roxas, blinked at her silently in shock.

She placed down the glass on a random butler's tray and quickly hid her face behind the fan, laughing nervously. "I-I'm sorry Your Majesty! I was very thirsty!" She exclaimed, changing the natural tone of her voice.

"Uh… it's alright…" Roxas muttered before narrowing her eyes at her suspiciously all of a sudden. "Hey… do I know you?"

She panicked, fanning herself harder. "I-I believe not Your Majesty! I-It's my first time here! I'm a p-princess… from a very far away land!" She chuckled nervously some more, earning some odd stares. "I think it's time for me to go…" She turned around, blushing hard to herself from embarrassment.

That was when a new butler came with a fresh tray of drinks, to Roxas. "Here you go, Your Majesty…"

'_You must be joking with me…'_ Olette groaned mentally. Slowly, she turned around in horror as she noticed Roxas taking another glass and moving it closer to his mouth.

Impulsively, she hurried over and stole it, gulping it all down hungrily again.

"…" Roxas raised an eyebrow at her slowly, dumbfounded. "You must be **very **thirsty…"

Suddenly, Olette considered exposing herself to Roxas and warning him, but just before she could though, a bunch of other noblemen/women surrounded themselves around Roxas, blocking her way.

"That's no excuse!" A random nobleman blurted out angrily. "There are plenty of drinks available around lady!"

"I-I apologize for my rudeness…" Olette smiled sheepishly with her head hanging low. _'I can't get to him unless he's alone… If the others knew, they'll most likely tell Ansem, who will tell the Queen….who will kick me out of here,' _she sighed miserably to herself.

Suddenly, Demyx showed up by her side, eying Olette with a grin. "Who's this pretty chick Rox?"

"The reason why I'm still thirsty," replied Roxas sarcastically, making Olette smile sheepishly again.

"Hold on a sec!" Exclaimed Demyx suddenly while examining Olette closely, trying to peek behind her fan. "I think I know you!"

Olette panicked, glancing from Roxas to Demyx nervously. "Y-You think?"

"Yeah!" Demyx nodded excitedly. "You look like a friend of a friend I kn—"

Abruptly, Olette grabbed a startled Demyx's arm and dragged him away with her, far from Roxas and the others.

She stopped them when they were at a safe distance away and glared at Demyx.

"Hey let's go meet my friend Axel!" He pointed with his finger at Axel a bit far behind him, surrounded by lovely women. "He might remember you; he has a very good memory!"

Olette rolled her eyes. "Demyx, it's me, Olette," she whispered quietly while looking around them cautiously.

Demyx blinked dumbly. "Omlette?" He giggled. "That's a funny name!"

She rolled her eyes. _'And here I thought I could get him to help me…'_ She sighed mentally. _'He can't do anything if I tell him anyway… I can't rely on him,'_she glanced at Axel flirting and laughing with random princesses in the background. _'I can't tell Axel either… he won't be able to help anyway. I doubt he'd believe me either… I need to do this alone!'_

"Forget it, he won't remember me, I've never met you guys before," Lied Olette impatiently, turning away to go back to watching Roxas.

"Wait a sec!" He cried suddenly to stop her, his eyes wide in shock. "How did you know my name then, if you're someone that I have never met before?"

'_The time he picks to be smart!'_ Olette gritted her teeth frustratedly.

Suddenly, Demyx's father, Duke Cid, came up from behind him. "Did ya find a gal you like yet son?" Then, mentally, he added to himself, _'…So I can marry you two off and be rid of ya.'_

Demyx whirled around to him brightly. "Yeah! Dad, I want you to meet Omlette!" He turned back to where Olette had been standing previously. "Eh? Where did she go?" He looked around him confusedly; unfortunately for him Olette had long escaped and disappeared.

"Omlette?" His father raised an eyebrow. "Strange name. Sure you didn't imagine her son?"

"…" Demyx pondered to himself deeply, scratching his chin. "I don't THINK so…."

"Don't think too hard son, you'll hurt yourself," then with a sigh, he turned around. "Come on; let's go meet up with your pal Axel!" Then mentally, to himself, he added, _'I wish that he'd rub off on you somehow…'_

_Meanwhile, with Olette…_

As she was looking around for Roxas again, she finally spotted him with Lord Sephiroth and his son, Zexion, and Naminé, who'd come back to his side.

'_I don't trust Lord Sephiroth… I've always thought of him as a shady person…'_ Olette unconsciously started treading closer to them. Her fan no longer covering her face; she was holding it down by her side. Her eyes narrowed carefully at Zexion. _'He and his sons!'_

Meanwhile, Sephiroth was smirking at Roxas. "Good party your mother arranged."

"Thanks," replied Roxas stiffly, wary of the silver-headed man. He had been known to be a shadowy character throughout the kingdom.

"Long live the Queen," Sephiroth's smirk then stretched slyly at Roxas. "And the king..."

"Hmph!" snorted Zexion quietly to himself behind his father.

Sephiroth's eyes then fell on Naminé, who was looking away deep in thought. "Beautiful as ever, Princess Naminé. Soon to be queen."

Naminé looked back at him quickly, startled. "Th-Thank you…"

"Your mind seems to be somewhere else…" Noted Sephiroth smugly, eying her in a way that was making her feel uncomfortable.

Suddenly, a butler came with a tray of drinks and held it down next to Roxas. Olette's eyes widened anxiously as she noticed Roxas take a glass, her heart-beat fastening in her chest, alarming her. _'I've got a very terrible feeling about this…!'_

She quickened her steps as Sephiroth suddenly held up his glass of wine, smirking. "A toast, for the king."

Roxas rolled his eyes silently while brining the drink closer to his mouth.

Olette was practically running now, when abruptly, a hand caught her arm and stopped her. She turned swiftly at her interrupter, frustrated.

It was Zexion, smirking at her up and down. "Olette? Is that you? You look very beauti—"

She shrugged off his arm violently and kept running, ignoring him as he called out her name. Her eyes were only fixed on Roxas and his drink.

Just when his glass touched his lips, Olette screamed in horror, startling everyone in the ballroom, "NO!"

Naminé's eyes widened in confusion when she spotted Olette running toward them. _'Olette?'_

Meanwhile, Sephiroth smirked sinisterly as Roxas took his first sip. Just then, Olette knocked down the drink from Roxas's hand.

Roxas stared up at her in shock, a death-like expression covering his face. His last words before falling down and blacking out were, "Ol…le…"

_Late at night, king's chamber…_

"He's awake!" The doctor exclaimed excitedly to Naminé, the Queen, Ansem and Marluxia by Roxas's bed.

"Oh thank Goodness!" The Queen sighed with utmost relief, smiling.

"I was truly frightened. Thank God you are alright. Thank God…" Ansem sighed with relief too.

Roxas sat upright weakly, wincing a bit. "Wh…What happened…?"

Suddenly, Naminé threw her arms around a dazed looking Roxas, relieved to see him alright. "Thank God you're alright! I was so worried!"

"Naminé… what happened?" He asked the blonde faintly, eying her with concern as she was hugging his neck.

"You're lucky, Your Majesty. If you have drunk any more of that poison, you'd have died!" Exclaimed the doctor, smiling.

"How terrifying… to think I almost lost you…" The Queen said softly, standing at the opposite side of Roxas's bed to Naminé. Gently, she caressed her son's head.

"That princess who knocked off the poison… whoever she was, she saved you!" Marluxia said with a smile.

"Where is she? I would like to thank her properly," the Queen asked Ansem automatically.

"She has disappeared during the commotion. There is no trace of her, and she was not even in the guest list," Ansem replied before sighing again with relief. "She is a Godsend."

Naminé let go of Roxas and kneeled down by his bed. "Don't you ever worry me like that again…" She told him, her voice shaking.

Roxas eyed her with surprise, then a soft, happy smile covered his lips. "Sorry."

_Meanwhile, downstairs…_

Olette, Hayner and Pence weren't allowed to take the stairs that led to Roxas's room. It was off-limits, due to security reasons.

Olette, who had changed back to her normal, simple attire to avoid attention, was visibly shaking from worry; her hands were clutching her heart tightly, praying whole-heartedly for Roxas's well-being in silence.

"Olette…" Pence and Hayner muttered at the same time while watching their female friend sympathetically.

Suddenly, Axel and Demyx passed by them to get to the stairs. They were some of the very few people that were permitted to visit the king.

"A-Axel! Demyx!" Olette called out after them hurriedly once she spotted them. They stopped and turned around to face her curiously.

"What is it babe?" Asked Axel quietly without his trade-mark smirk, the situation was too dire for that.

She approached them with her head held down pleadingly. "P-Please… Tell us how he is doing as soon as possible…" She begged. "No one will tell us anything… Please… I need to know how he is doing!"

"…." Axel and Demyx froze to stare at her in awe.

She was shaking harder now, tears coming down her face uncontrollably. "Please…."

"You love him this much, huh… You're more shaken up than his fiancée," Axel whispered under his breath while staring at her gently. Suddenly, he smirked to himself. "Roxy is one lucky guy!"

"Leave it to us!" Grinned Demyx at her reassuringly. "We'll report back to you ASAP!"

She smiled at them gratefully amidst the tears. "Thank you..."

Before they could go, Olette stopped them by saying, "One more thing… Don't tell him I asked. In fact… don't tell him anything about me!"

Demyx and Axel raised an eyebrow at her confusedly.

"Suit yourself…" Axel shrugged, rolling his eyes before leaving, followed by Demyx.

_Later, at the library…_

Olette was waiting desperately for Axel and Demyx's report, restlessly pacing the library the whole time.

Hayner and Pence sighed at her.

"Geez, Olette, at least we know that Roxas is alive… why are you still so worried?" Hayner asked tiredly.

"But what if the poison had some sort of side-effect on him?" Olette snapped, panicking again.

"Olette… Please, calm down…" Pence sighed.

"Shut up Pence!" Olette snapped again.

Suddenly, the doors to the library opened, and Axel and Demyx stepped in. Olette literally ran to them, hurriedly followed by Hayner and Pence.

"How is he?" Olette asked abruptly.

"He's A-Okay!" Demyx showed her the thumbs-up, grinning.

"Really?" A wide, relieved smile appeared on her face.

"Yep!" Axel answered, smirking. "He even asked about you guys. He wants you to see him now."

"Alright!" Pence and Hayner celebrated in the background.

"You didn't tell him anything about me… did you Axel?" Olette narrowed her eyes suspiciously at the sneaky red-head.

Axel stared at her seriously with a genuine expression. "No."

She relaxed, smiling a bit. "That's a relief."

Axel snorted suddenly, rolling his eyes. "Hmph… Idiot woman..." He muttered quietly to himself. "You should just tell him what you have to tell'em."

"Don't tell me what I have to do Axel… you don't understand," she sighed quietly with a sober expression. Hayner, Pence and Demyx watched them quietly in the background, silently agreeing with Axel.

"I get it. His mother's a witch. He's engaged and totally smitten over his fiancée," Axel shrugged like it was no big deal. "So what?"

"_So what_? Are you out of your mind? I-It could destroy so many things!" She shook her head calmly. "No. I can't and I will never do it. I've decided that a long time ago…"

Axel shrugged casually. "Suit yourself. Your loss. Who knows… Roxy might share your feelings. You must have noticed how weird Roxas has been acting lately….." He trailed off cunningly before suddenly turning and waving them off. "Later! I'm off to check on Teef!"

Demyx was still fixed on his spot, however, staring at Olette carefully.

"What?" Asked Olette irriratedly.

"I feel that I've seen you before…." He hummed thoughtfully, scratching his chin. "You look like a stranger I like…"

"You like a stranger?" Pence and Hayner raised an eyebrow in the background. "Weirdo."

Meanwhile, Olette was panicking. "Y-You're just imagining things…" She giggled nervously.

"Imagining…?" Suddenly, he recalled his father asking him if he'd imagined 'Omlette', and gasped loudly. "OMLETTE! I'VE FINALLY FOUND YOUUU!" He tackled her with a hug and whirled her around in utter joy.

Hayner and Pence blinked stupidly at them.

"L-Let go of me you idiot!" Olette struggled to break free.

Abruptly, he let go, a dumb look on his face. "Wait… but you're Olette? How can Olette be Omlette? Unless…!" He froze, his eyes widening like he'd just had an epiphany.

Olette gulped nervously.

"…YOU'RE HER TWIN SISTER!" He pointed at her dramatically.

She smacked his head with her fist. "You're such a retard sometimes... Sheesh... Even Prince Sora doesn't compare!"

Hayner and Pence were laughing their butts off in the background.

"Shut up, Talking Wallpapers!" Demyx glared at them in annoyance.

"W-Wallpapers?" Hayner gasped squeakily before rolling up his sleeve to attack Demyx. Fortunately, Pence managed to hold him back.

Olette smiled warmly at them, though her thoughts were somewhere else entirely….

_Later, after Demyx has left to catch up with Axel…_

Hayner suddenly exclaims to her, "Olette! Come on, let's go see Roxas!"

"…" Quietly, Olette shook her head. "I can't."

"WHAT?" Hayner and Pence cried in shock at the same time.

She put a hand over her heart. "I'm very happy and relieved to know that he's okay. That's all I wanted to know. Personally… I can't see him…" She remembered Roxas's last moment before blacking out…

"_Ol… le…"_

'_He knows it's me. He knows that I am that princess. If I see him now… it might complicate things…Also, what Axel said earlier….'_

"_You must have noticed how weird Roxas has been acting lately….."_

"What do you mean you can't see him? Olette, are you crazy? Just a second ago, you were bawling your eyes out, itching just to see him!" Hayner yelled frustratedly at her.

"Sorry, guys…" Mumbled Olette quickly, turning around to go to her room. "You go ahead and see him. Tell him I… can't see him today. I have a lot of work to do."

"OLETTE!" Yelled Hayner angrily after her. "You're going to pack your things aren't you? You told us the Queen is making you leave TOMORROW!"

"…" She walked away silently without looking back.

"OLETTE! WHAT ABOUT ROXAS? ARE YOU JUST GOING TO LEAVE WITHOUT SAYING GOODBYE? HE JUST SURVIVED DEATH Y'KNOW! WHY ARE YOU SO DARN DIFFICULT!"

"…"

Pence sighed heavily and put a hand over his agitated friend's shoulder. "Let it go Hayner. You know how stubborn Olette is."

"Hmph! Whatever!" Hayner huffed, stomping off to the opposite direction, later followed by a dejected Pence.

Just outside her room, Olette found the Queen standing there, apparently waiting for her for a private talk.

"Your Highness…" Olette blinked at her curiously. "What are you doing here?"

The Queen stared at her silently. "It was you, wasn't it? The princess who saved my boy."

Olette looked down silently in response.

"I've recently had a chance to recollect my thoughts. It all made sense. You tried to warn us about it anyway," Elena looked away haughtily, clearly embarrassed about being proven wrong. "I'm sorry to have doubted you," she said it quickly. Olette could tell it was very hard for her.

"It's alright Your Majesty…" Olette smiled weakly. "Everything turned out well in the end. Thank Goodness…"

"…" The Queen studied Olette carefully for a while before speaking again, "You are leaving tomorrow, first thing in the morning."

Olette nodded solemnly, her smile disappearing.

"Roxas doesn't know and I expect it to remain this way until you are gone," the Queen added firmly. "It may sound cruel, but you understand, don't you, Olette? You're a clever young woman. Roxas is engaged to be married to the Princess of the Hikari Kingdom. It's part of our alliance agreement."

"Of course, I understand, Your Majesty," Olette nodded quickly. "In the end, all I want is what's best for Roxas… and this Kingdom. It's my home. _Always_ will be."

"Good," the Queen smiled. "It's been wonderful to have you Olette."

"Thank you, Your Majesty. For having me all this time."

Meanwhile, Hayner and Pence had just come to visit Roxas in his room. They found Naminé coming out of it and closing the door behind her softly.

"Hey, Princess Naminé! How is Roxas?" Hayner asked while hurrying over to her with Pence.

Naminé turned to them and smiled a little gently. "Hello Hayner, Pence… Roxas is sleeping right now. You should visit him tomorrow."

"WHAAT?" Hayner exploded while Pence smiled weakly at him.

"Please be quiet! He is resting!" Naminé whispered quickly.

"He said he wanted to see us and then goes ahead and sleeps? Geez!" Hayner complained.

"Hayner, Roxas must be very tired…" Pence tried to sooth his friend.

Hayner sighed defeatedly. "Oh, yeah… I understand. We'll come tomorrow then. Take care Princess." With that he turned around, followed by Pence.

"Hold on…" Naminé stopped them, missing a certain brunette girl. "Where is Olette? Isn't she coming to see how Roxas is doing?" She asked almost incredulously.

"…" Hayner and Pence looked down dejectedly at the mention of their friend, who was leaving them tomorrow.

"Why?" Naminé blinked in disbelief. "She must be very worried about him."

"She's leaving to the Spira Kingdom tomorrow," Pence blurted out.

"What?" Naminé's eyes widened in shock. "But we haven't heard a word about it!"

"The Queen wanted to keep it a secret from Roxas," Hayner explained bitterly.

Naminé looked down at her feet soberly while muttering, "I see…"

Hayner let out a heavy sigh. "Well, later Princess…" He turned around and left with Pence.

Naminé saw them off with a small smile, thinking, _'Olette… You're not leaving without saying goodbye to Roxas, are you…?'_

_Later, Ansem, Marluxia and the Queen are gathering in her office…_

"Have you any clue on who tried to assassinate His Majesty?" Marluxia asked Ansem grimly.

"We have arrested the people who have smuggled the poison into the castle," Ansem answered. "They are professional assassins who are obviously following orders from a higher-up. We have tried almost everything to get them to talk, even torture, but they simply refuse to rat on their leader, even if it means they death. To me, they seemed to be firm believers of some sort of cause."

"Do you think they're from the Wutai Kingdom? Almost all the professional assassins come from there," suggested Marluxia.

"I swear that I won't rest until I expose those who tried to murder my son and let them face brutal punishment!" The Queen's expression darkened furiously.

Suddenly, Marluxia's eyes sparkled suspiciously. "Where is the king's brother? I find his absence rather… suspicious."

The Queen and Ansem turned to look at him curiously.

"I'm merely speculating here. But, come to think of it, he does have the motive," Marluxia continued thoughtfully. "Perhaps he wanted his brother's throne for himself. It happens all the time."

"I have known him for a long time, he is not that kind," Ansem frowned at the pink-head. "You should think twice before accusing His Majesty's brother like that."

"I am very disappointed in you Lord Marluxia. Accusing Sora, of all people," The Queen shook her head at him with a sigh at the same time. "He is too simple-minded for that."

"I apologize," Marluxia said quickly, bowing his head. "I am only concerned for His Majesty's safety."

"Come to think of it, where is he?" The Queen murmured with a troubled sigh. "My Roxas would feel hurt if his brother won't show up to check on his well-being after a terrible incident like this…"

"I am sure he will be back as soon as the news reaches him…" Ansem told her reassuringly.

_Next morning…_

Roxas woke up jerkily early in the morning, as if he'd had a bad nightmare. He let out a big sigh and turned his head to stare out the window from his bed thoughtfully…

**Flashback ****of a conversation he had with Demyx last night…**

"Hey, Demyx… I'm trying hard to remember who the princess who saved me was… but my memory's blurry…" Roxas told him. "I remember she took you away with her at some point. Did you get any clue who she is?" He asked hopefully.

"Oh, you mean Omlette?" Demyx grinned goofily. "Nah, I know nothin' about her. But I like her a lot!"

"Omlette?" Roxas blinked confusedly. _'That's a weird name…'_

**End of Flashback**

"I remember now!" Gasped Roxas to himself abruptly, his memory getting back to him. "That princess… she-she was…"

He remembered a blurry vision of her before blacking out. Slowly, the vision became clearer and clearer…

His eyes widened in shock and realization. "Ol…ette," he mouthed breathlessly.

'_During the whole party… That princess…__**Olette**__… kept stealing my drinks. I didn't know why then and got irritated. She must have known about the poison all along… and yet… she still drank every glass I got…'_

He gripped his blanket tighter.

"_Come on, Olette! Tell Roxas what you have to tell him!" _He remembered Hayner pestering Olette like he usually did.

"_Olette, you have something to tell me?" _Roxas had asked cluelessly.

"_No! Nothing!" _Olette had replied panicky while avoiding eye-contact.

'_I think I know now…__That something you never told me all along…'_

"Tch!" Roxas suddenly gritted his teeth in frustration, threw the blanket away and staggered weakly toward the door.

A random maid cleaning the library was startled to find King Roxas there, in yesterday night's clothes, with God-awful bed-hair, looking like he'd just come back from the dead, searching the place for a certain brunette.

"Where is she, where is Olette?" Roxas turned to the maid hastily.

"U-Um… O-Olette has just left Your Majesty," the maid replied nervously.

"Left? Where?" Roxas barked abruptly, almost making the poor maid jump.

"Sh-She's going with Spira's knights to the Spira Kingdom… They're waiting for her at the entrance gate."

Roxas froze, his eyes expanding in horror. "Sh-She's… She's leaving…?"

The maid nodded, confused by his reaction. "She just about left, actually Y-Your Majesty."

"No…" Roxas breathed out crestfallenly, and then quickly hurried out of the library to the main entrance.

'_She was always beside me,'_ He thinks frustratedly while running and wheezing. _'Always supporting me, listening to my problems….'_

He dashed out of the entrance gate and finally spotted Olette, saying goodbye to her friends and coworkers in front of the carriage. He slowed his pace as he approached them silently, listening to what they were saying...

"Hayner, Pence... I expect you to take good care of Roxas! Keep him safe ya hear?"

"Yes, Your Highness Princess Olette," the boys replied sarcastically.

"Seriously guys! I'm going to be worried sick over there!"

"Alright, alright… we get it already! We'll take care of Roxas; you just take care of yourself!" Hayner said.

"And come visit us sometimes!" Added Pence with a sad smile.

Olette smiled at both of them sadly. "You too, don't forget to visit! I'll miss you guys!"

"Of course we will! You're a royalty now, so we expect you to treat us good!" Hayner winked suggestively, making Olette giggle, rolling her eyes.

"Ollie! Come on! It's time to go hooome Princess!" Exclaimed Rikku behind her near the carriage, standing next to the other knights.

"Bye guys…." Olette muttered sadly to her friends with a bittersweet smile.

"We'll see each other again!" Pence reassured her, smiling brightly this time.

"Yeah!" Hayner grinned. "Definitely!"

She hugged both of them friendly then turned around to leave.

"Won't you say goodbye to _me_ Olette?"

Olette looked up instantly behind Hayner and Pence at the voice to find Roxas coming down the stairs toward her.

"R-Roxas…!" Her eyes widened in surprise. "Wh-What are you doing here?"

"I just need to know something…" he told her softly, studying her reactions carefully. "Olette… Do you have something to tell me?"

"…" With a calm and already resolved expression, Olette didn't reply, and gazed down at her feet silently instead.

'_As the King who's engaged to Naminé… I have to do what is right….' _Roxas stared hard at Olette's expression, feeling torn inside. _'And Olette knows. She knows this. That's why she will…'_

"No. I have nothing to tell you."

"Olliiie! Hurry up! We have to leave early if we want to arrive there before nighttime!" Riku exclaimed at her impatiently in the background.

Yuna glared at Rikku before whispering, "Shh! Give her some time!"

"Are you sure?" Roxas pressed almost desperately. "You have nothing to tell me?"

She nodded blankly without a word.

"What? No hug? You even call yourselves 'friends'?" Hayner complained in the background.

Roxas opened his arms to hug her, but then suddenly froze and stopped midway. He looked down to see Olette's outstretched hand. He dropped his arms to his sides and shook her hand instead.

"Geez, Olette! You're so cold!" Pence pouted.

Roxas stared down at their hands sadly.

"During our time here together," he heard Olette tell him softly and looked up at her face, smiling warmly back at him. "We didn't have a very good beginning, or a happy ending with all of us together from the looks of it," she chuckled lightly, glancing at Hayner and Pence briefly, who smiled back at her. "But, in the middle of it all, I had the best time of my life!"

"…" Roxas stared silently at her beautiful smile, unable to return it though.

"Take care of yourself. And take care of our home. I wish you happiness, Roxas." With that, she pulled back her hand and hurriedly ran away toward the carriage waiting for her.

Roxas took one step toward her instinctively and stopped, watching her go with a sad frown.

Inside the carriage that was now leaving past the castle gates, Olette suddenly threw her face in her hands and started to weep. She'd been fighting the urge to cry ever since she'd seen Roxas coming to see her off.

The three knights eyed her sympathetically.

"Cheer up Ollie! You'll have a great life in the Spira Kingdom, way better than the life you had here!" Rikku smiled at her encouragingly.

"I doubt it," Olette sniffed.

"Your grandfather is very excited to see you, he hasn't slept in days," Yuna added softly, trying to sooth her.

"You'll definitely like it there… A new life awaits you," Paine smiled at her a bit.

Olette turned around to look back at the castle through the back window of the carriage. It was slowly growing further and further away… She was leaving home, and her heart…


	14. The Bond Between Brothers

Chapter 14: _The_ _Bond Between Brothers_

_Back at the Twilight Kingdom, the Queen's office…_

"How could you go behind my back and tell the Knights about Olette?"

The Queen sighed impatiently. "Roxas, dear, calm down. Don't get worked up over something so trivial. Go rest, you look pale."

"Why didn't you even tell me that she was leaving today?"

_Silence._ The Queen stared quietly at Roxas's intense glare directed at her. Suddenly, she snapped, "Just who is this Olette that makes you glare at your own mother in such a hateful manner?"

Roxas hesitated a bit. "Sh-She's one of my best friends. Very important to me, like every one of them is."

"Is that so?" The Queen raised an incredulous eyebrow at him. "Ah well, never mind. She is gone now. And she'll have a very fabulous life," she looked at him frustratedly. "Why can't you be happy for her?"

"…" Roxas stared quietly at his mother. "That's not the point… the point is that you always make the decisions for me. I am a king now yet you never trust me to make my own decisions! No matter how many times I repeat it, you just won't listen to how your son feels..."

"You ungrateful child!" The Queen gasped. "After all my efforts to get you on the throne instead of your brother Sora…"

Roxas stopped and blinked at her confusedly. "What do you mean, 'instead of your brother Sora'…?"

She scoffed to herself abruptly, looking away. "Never mind, I wish to be alone. Get back to your room and rest, you look terrible."

Roxas blinked at her suspiciously for a while before doing what he was told and leaving her office.

_**Flashback**_

_6 years ago in Twilight Kingdom, inside one of the royal offices…_

'_I hate him,'_ a younger Roxas was thinking while glaring at his half-brother seated across the long, rectangle table where the King held most of his informal meetings.

Meanwhile, next to Roxas, the King was having a debate with his consultant and head of the council, Ansem. "An alliance with the Hikari Kingdom is most beneficial indeed," The King nodded slowly. "But so is an alliance with the Hallow Bastion Kingdom."

"I beg to differ, Your Majesty. The first is a much stronger and renowned Kingdom. They have a daughter about your sons' age as well. It would be wise to meet with the King of Hikari Kingdom and start making plans for the future. That is my suggestion," Ansem replied. "We are in a time were appropriate alliances are required to survive."

"Hmm…" The King rested his head onto his intertwined hands and closed his eyes thoughtfully.

"Can I go now?" Whined Sora all of a sudden. He was sunk down on his seat with his arms crossed in front of him, pouting childishly. "This is soo boring!"

Ansem turned to him swiftly, irritated. "Be quiet brat! Your father is thinking!"

"About what?"

"You and your brother's future!"

"What about our future?"

"Your marriage, now be quiet!"

"I'm… getting married?" Sora blinked innocently, confused. "But I'm only ten years old!"

"NOT NOW BRAT! IN THE _FUTURE_!" Ansem retorted exasperatedly.

"Oohhhh!" Sora nodded slowly, in awe for some reason.

Finally, for Ansem, silence.

"I'm gonna marry a girl right?"

"OF COURSE!" Exploded Ansem impatiently before eying the little brunette with suspicion. "Why? Do you, perhaps, prefer to wed to another boy?"

"No. Girls are prettier…" He looked down thoughtfully. "But Riku is pretty too…" He blinked up at a stunned Ansem and King Rufus innocently. "Does that mean I can marry Riku?"

"..." Roxas frowned at his brother in disgust.

"No," King Rufus replied quietly at the same time. "You will marry a lady."

"Okay!" Sora shrugged casually.

_Silence._ Some time passed as King Rufus and Ansem continued their discussion.

"Can I go nooww?" Sora whined again suddenly.

Ansem sighed exasperatedly, turning back to the brunette. "Can you be a little like your brother and be quiet for two minutes? THAT IS ALL I ASK: TWO MINUTES!"

"HAH!" Sora jumped off his seat excitedly, pointing a triumphant finger at the older man. "BUT I WAS QUIET FOR _THREE _MINUTES!"

"Make it ten and I promise I will give you candy!"

"DEAL!" The brunette exclaimed excitedly before plopping down on his seat, and pressing his lips shut.

'_Yes!'_ Cried Ansem in his head delightedly, sighing with relief.

"Will I have to marry Kairi?" Sora blurted out impulsively all of a sudden, making Ansem groan sadly.

'_That is not even ten seconds,'_ Ansem sighed miserably in his head while at the same time; Roxas was scowling jealously at his brother.

Sora threw his arms behind his head casually, pouting all of a sudden. "I don't care about girls! They're pretty but they're so boring and weird!"

Ansem scoffed. "I would like to hear you say that again after a few years."

Meanwhile, the was is watching them thoughtfully before finally announcing out loud, "I've decided. Roxas should marry the Princess of the Hikari Kingdom once he comes of age. That leaves the latter…" He glanced at Sora briefly, who grinned idiotically at his father in return, happy for the attention. "We can make plans for Princess Kairi and Sora afterwards."

"Wise choice Your Majesty," bowed Ansem a little at the King, smiling.

Sora grinned boyishly while Roxas gaped at his father, appalled.

The King started to get off his chair. "Let's discuss this with the rest of the council and then plan a meeting w—" He stopped abruptly and clutched his chest, wincing in pain.

Ansem was by his side in a moment. "You must rest first Your Majesty! Your health has been deteriorating rapidly. It is quite worrisome… I cannot allow you to push yourself any further!"

"Hm. Y-You're right. Let's… leave it for another time. Roxas is….still young…!" The King wheezed out painfully.

"Father, are you—" Roxas began, staring at his father worriedly before being cut off by Sora, who jumped in in front of him out of nowhere.

"DAD ARE YOU OKAY?"

"…" Roxas scowled at him in annoyance.

"I'm… fine," the King managed to reply. "A little… tired. Stop being… so noisy…!"

Ansem helped him up on his feet. "I will be escorting His Majesty to his chamber—"

"DO YOU WANT ME TO GO WITH YOU?" Sora exclaimed vigorously.

"Quiet brat! Your father is tired!" Hissed Ansem back at the brunette as they were about to walk out the room.

"Roxas…" The King called weakly through his shoulder at the same time by the doorway. "Continue with your lessons then… come and meet me tonight… in my office. There's something important I must… t-teach you myself."

Roxas nodded. Once they'd exited, Roxas turned curiously to his half-brother, who was sighing disappointedly.

"Work, work, work! That's all he ever does! So boring!" Suddenly, he shrugged happy-go-lucky style. "Oh well! I'm going fishing!"

Coincidentally, at the same time, a maid came in and bowed at Roxas. "Young Lord, the teacher is waiting for you in the study hall."

Roxas ignored her, glaring at his happy-go-lucky brother all pumped-up for his little fishing trip. _'I hate him. He is so lucky….'_

"My lord?"

"…"

Abruptly, Sora turned to Roxas excitedly, catching him off-guard. "Hey wanna come? It'll be FUN!"

"I can't," replied Roxas coldly, but Sora seemed to have missed entirely on his cold tone.

"AW, COME ON! You never have time to hang out with your brother! IT'LL BE FUN I SWEAR! Better than reading stupid books all day…" He rolled his eyes tediously at the last sentence.

'_Like I have a choice idiot,'_ Roxas scowled irritatedly. "I can't! Didn't you just hear? They want me at the study hall!"

"How boring! You must be so lonely, playing in that study room all by yourself all day long!"

"I'M NOT PLAYING, I'M _STUDYING_!" Roxas snapped, startling the brunette. "At least I have something useful to do, unlike _someone_!" With that, he turned around and left with the maid angrily.

_3 years later, the library…_

A thirteen year old Olette passed by and noticed Roxas sitting all by himself at one of the library's tables, looking dejected. She stopped by him and bended down, checking out her friend worriedly. "Roxas... is everything okay?"

"I'm just tired…" Sighed Roxas while resting his head on the table.

"They're pushing you too hard..." Muttered Olette sympathetically. "But not your brother….. It's unfair isn't it? Why can't they lay off your neck for a while and look at _him_ instead? He has it way too easy…" She huffed. "They even let him slither out of the castle anytime he wishes while you're stuck here like a prisoner! Hmph! Talk about injustice!"

"…"

"He can get away with anything! Yesterday, he knocked off a whole line of bookshelves while trying to hide from his dance instructor! Ugh… Took me forever to clean that mess!"

Roxas smiled weakly, feeling sorry for his friend.

"No offense Roxas, but your brother is _strange_. A week ago, Pence saw him hanging on a chandelier like a monkey. We still don't know why. Lord Ansem gave him quite a scolding after he jumped down on him… But all your brother did was laugh and smile like an idiot… that's all your brother ever does. He can't seem to take anything seriously," she paused curiously. "Speaking of which… I've rarely seen him sad or angry. Is he human?" She joked, giggling.

Roxas stared at the ground thoughtfully. "I remember he did cry… a lot…the first time he came here. But after a while… I've never seen him sad or angry about anything anymore… That is weird…" He trailed off quietly.

"Your brother really _does_ have it TOO EASY…" Hayner interjected suddenly, appearing out of nowhere beside the brunette.

"Hayner… Why are you loafing around here instead of doing your job?" Olette asked sternly, crossing her arms in front of her.

"Why?" Hayner retorted with mischievous grin while glancing at the two. "Am I interrupting something…?"

"No! Just go and make yourself useful for once!" She yelled, acting all flustered for some reason that wa making Roxas curious.

"Alright, alright! I'm goin'!" Hayner pouted, pretending to leave. "So didja tell him what you had to tell him yet?"

"None of your business Hayner!" She burst after him, blushing a bit.

Behind her, Roxas raised a curious eyebrow. "You have something to tell me Olette?"

Olette whirled around nervously. "N-No...!" She shook her hand quickly in front of her in denial. "H-Hayner is just messing around!"

Roxas blinked at her confusedly before letting it go and staring down at his handwatch. "I have a sword match with Cloud, my instructor, in a few minutes…" He sighed. "Sora's probably hiding from Squall somewhere…."

"Are you going to look for him?"

He shrugged. "It doesn't matter to them if he shows up or not. It's just me."

"Roxas…." She frowned at him sympathetically again. "If I could speak up for you about this injustice, I would! They will probably have me thrown in a dungeon then though!" She chuckled lightly. "Like Lord Ansem says… I don't have the _'proper status'_ to speak to my superiors…" She rolled her eyes.

"Well, bye..."

"Later Rox!" Olette replied, waving and watching him go with a smile.

Suddenly, Roxas stopped and turned half-way. "If you were in my place, Olette….. As an heir to a throne….What'd you do? …Would you accept it?" He asked out of the blue.

She touched her chin thoughtfully. "Hmmm… If I were in your shoes….." She looked up and shrugged at him lightly. "I'd bear with the burden… When you're in a position like that, you don't have a choice. It's always your kingdom and your people who come first. It's a tough choice to make between what you want and what you have to do… but that's what it means to be a king, queen… whatever." She chuckled.

Roxas nodded slowly. "I see." Then he smiled at her appreciatively all of a sudden.

"What?" She asked, smiling back, happy to see some shine back on his face.

"You're the best at giving advice."

She blushed slightly, her smile stretching. "That's what friends are for huh?" She told him while chuckling nervously.

_Later, at night, the King's office…_

"You're doing splendidly with your studies, from what I heard from your teachers. Good work. I'm very proud of you son," smiled the King at Roxas proudly.

"Hn," was Roxas' half-hearted reply.

"What's the matter? Is there something on your mind?" Questioned the King with some concern.

"What about Sora?" Roxas blurted angrily all of a sudden while glaring up at his father. "Why don't you ever bring him here and talk to him like you do with me? How come _he_ can get away with skipping lessons? Isn't he your son too?"

"…" The King sighed, and then smiled at his son wearily. "Sora… He doesn't need these lessons. You do. It's as simple as that son."

"It's not just the lessons!" Roxas snapped frustratedly. "You never pay attention to what he's doing! Are you even aware that he's always going around causing trouble to everyone?" He looked away with a look of detest. "I can't stand him!"

The King's expression became grim and serious all of a sudden. "He's your brother Roxas. I expect you to stand by him, always. He needs you."

"Hmph! He doesn't need me, he's doing fine all by himself! Smiling like an idiot, all free and happy! He must be doing it on purpose just to rub it in my face! I don't want anything to do with him!" Exclaimed Roxas loudly before turning and stomping toward the door to leave. Upon opening it, he found none other than Sora standing there with a startled expression on his face, grinning weakly, like he was caught doing something bad.

"S…Sora…" Roxas stared back at him with wide open eyes, just as startled.

Behind them the King sighed and turned his chair around to look away, ashamed.

Sora forced out a wide, cheerful grin. "U-Uhh… Hiya! I was… going to ask you if you're free to join me fishing now, but…. never mind! Looks like… you're not in the mood," he scratched the bridge of his nose sheepishly, chuckling a bit before turning around. "See ya!"

"…" Roxas stood there stupidly for a while. _'It's just Sora…. Why am I feeling bad?'_

Suddenly, Ansem showed up in a hurry and whizzed by Roxas into the King's office.

Looking back through his shoulder, Roxas watched curiously as his father and Ansem had a conversation.

"This is the list of guests for the Queen's birthday party, as you requested, Your Majesty," Ansem handed them over to the King, who observed them quietly.

"We're having another party?" Asked Roxas exasperatedly from the doorway.

"Yes," His father looked up from the paper. "Why are you upset? It's Elena's, your mother's birthday. I thought you wanted so badly to see her visit, I was thinking of you…"

Roxas snorted quietly, looking away. "She's not gonna come anyway," He said bitterly. "Just give up…"

Suddenly, Ansem cleared his throat for the King's attention. "Ah, pardon me, Your Majesty… There is this other matter that we need to consult you with. It concerns your other son, Sora."

The King sighed heavily, turning to Ansem. "What about him? What did he do this time?"

"I would like to discuss with you… about your decision regarding excluding Sora from all the imperial events."

"Yes, what of it?"

"Oh I was just wondering why you are so very strict against Sora attending such events. He was not even called for his own birthday party…And now the Queen's… is it really a wise choice Your Majesty? Sora is, after all your only other heir after Roxas. While I am very well aware that he is by no means befitting a royalty in manner of behavior, and well, everything… you could still have trained him to be one, Your Majesty, had you provided him with your attention and appropriate lecturing. Because of you giving him free reign, he is now completely out of control…"

"…" The King listened quietly for a while, and then nodded solemnly. "You are absolutely right Ansem. But unfortunately, Sora _cannot_ and _will_ _not _take my throne. No matter what, Elena will never allow it. And…" His tone became unexpectedly soft then, "I promised his mother that I'd give him freedom…"

"But you, Your Majesty—"

"I'm… not going to be here for long," said the King quietly.

"Your Majesty…!" Ansem gasped.

"So what's the use training Sora?" The King smiled bitterly. "He is meant to be forgotten. I… deeply… regret bringing him here."

_Silence._

"I see your point Your Majesty," nodded Ansem suddenly, his expression grim. "Sora does not belong here. He is all but a burden!"

The King sighed heavily in a response.

For some reason, Roxas suddenly felt ashamed and disgusted of what he'd heard and left abruptly.

He stopped in the middle of the hallway, agitated with himself. _'Why am I feeling bad for him? He brought it to himself! Hmph!'_ With a frustrated sigh, he whirled around and went to search for his half-brother.

_An hour later…_

Roxas wasn't able to find Sora, he'd tried stopping several servants and asking them about his whereabouts, but none of them had a clue, and most of them had grimaced at the mere mention of his name. His reputation for causing chaos and trouble exceeded him.

Roxas stopped suddenly and leaned against the wall to rest. _'Why does no one know where he is?'_ He sighed before answering his own question, _'Because no one cares…'_He frowned to himself guiltily._'No one….'_

Suddenly, he noticed a young brown-haired maid passing by.

"Hey!" He called after her.

She stopped abruptly at the sound of his voice, dropped her mop and bowed immediately. "Y-Yes Your Highness?"

"Do you know where Riku and um, Kairi are?"

"Young lord Riku does not come here very often Your Highness. He's mostly busy with his family affairs. As for Her young Highness, she visits here from time to time, but she also has duties and responsibilities as an heiress to her own kingdom. I think you understand what I mean Your—"

"What about Sora? Do you have any idea where he is?" He asked hopefully.

"Oh. Sor— I mean Prince Sora…He…."

Roxas stared at her expectantly.

"I have no idea where he is!" She smiled sheepishly.

He let out a sigh, his shoulders slumping in disappointment.

"Whenever Princess Kairi and Lord Riku are around, he gets very excited. And he makes less trouble too! Ahh…" She sighed wishfully. "How I wish they'd stay here forever…"

Roxas smiled weakly at the maid. "Umm… thanks for the, uh, help."

She smiled happily. "Always happy to serve, Your Highness!" She bowed again before picking up her mop and moving on.

Meanwhile, Roxas was thinking to himself, _'I thought he'd be with them… but I guess he's alone…'_ He sighed wearily. _'I'm tired… and I have work to do. I give up. Sora is impossible to find…'_

_Later_

On his way to the library to complete some of his unfinished assignments, Roxas stopped to grab some fresh air at one of the abandoned balconies in the castle.

There, he – finally – found _him_, alone by himself, sitting on the railing and looking up at the moon serenely. Something Roxas wasn't expecting possible with his brother.

'_When you aren't looking for him, you find him,'_ Roxas sighed mentally.

With hesitant step, Roxas walked over to his brother. Hearing his footsteps, Sora suddenly pulled up his hand to wipe off something off his cheeks.

Roxas stopped abruptly in shock. _'He's… crying…? No way…' _He cursed himself mentally, feeling even worse. _'I've always thought of myself as a victim of some __tragic __story. Always thinking that I had no one who really gets me… that I was the only one who's wronged and suffering… ' _He gazed up at Sora's lonely figure and frowned to himself deeply. _'He is too … trapped in his own prison of loneliness…..I'm __**such **__an idiot...'_

"Sora."

Sora whirled around swiftly. Then he quickly grinned at the blonde. "Oh hey Rox! 'Sup?"

"I was…" Roxas looked at his feet sheepishly. "Wondering… If you would…" He took a peek at Sora's eager face and pouted, looking away and blushing slightly in embarrassment before blurting out, "Take me fishing with you!"

Sora was millimeters in front of him in a second. "REALLY?"

"Um, yeah…" The blonde stepped back, startled.

"AWESOME!" The brunette exclaimed excitedly, grinning from ear-to-ear. "WE'RE GONNA HAVE SO MUCH FUNNN!"

Roxas smiled weakly back at him.

"I'M GONNA TAKE YOU TO MY FAVORITE FISHING SPOT! YOU CAN CATCH REALLY BIG FISH THERE, I MEAN _REALLY_ BIG! I BET YOU DON'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT FISHING RIGHT?" He scratched the bridge of his nose haughtily. "WELL DON'T WORRY I'LL TEACH YOU! I KNOW A LOT!"

"Cool…" Roxas nodded, his smile stretching at Sora's enthusiasm.

"I'M SO PUMPED!" Exclaimed Sora with a motion of his fists before looking up at Roxas enthusiastically. "ARE YOU PUMPED?"

"Um, yeah…" The blonde replied, chuckling a bit.

"THAT DOESN'T SOUND LIKE PUMPED TO ME! COME ON ROX! SOUND PUMPED!"

"…."

Sora let out a sigh suddenly. "Boy, you got a lot to learn!" Suddenly, he was at the balcony's door. "Come on let's gooo!"

"W-Wait, I have to finish my assignment for tomorrow first!" Roxas exclaimed somewhat panicky.

"Pfft! So boring!" Sora's shoulders slumped disappointedly.

"I have to do it! The teacher's so strict…" Roxas muttered with a sigh.

"Fine! Where is it?" Questioned Sora exasperatedly.

"Here…" Roxas held up the paper in his hand. "I was going to go to the library to—"

Sora abruptly took his assignment from him, catching him off guard.

"Hey wait! What do you think you're doing?" Roxas yelled, pouting at him.

"Do you have a pencil?" Asked Sora calmly while examining the paper.

"Y-Yeah… right here…" Roxas showed him his pencil.

Sora took it and started solving the questions. Roxas stared at him in great shock as he solved each and every complicated mathematic problem on the paper with ease.

"Here!" Sora held up the paper for him, grinning innocently. "All done! Can we go now?"

"…" Roxas checked out the answers, all correct, then stared up silently at Sora again in awe. '_Apparently, Sora is smart. He's so smart, that he can craftily make people believe that he isn't!'_

"COME OOON! LET'S GOOO!" Sora called for him impatiently from the doorway.

Roxas followed him like a zombie, still stunned at his discovery. '_Who'd have thought…?'_

_**End of Flashback**_

_Late after midnight, Roxas's chamber…_

"Roxas? Are you awake?"

Roxas opened his eyes tiredly only to see his brother's concerned face staring down at him. "Sora…?" He muttered sleepily.

"So you're awake," Sora smiled with relief, pulling back. "Great, I… I need to tell you something."

"…"

"I was so worried about you after I heard the news so I rushed back here as soon as I can. I got lost on the way though that's why I was delayed but that's another story for another time…" He stopped and stared at his brother reluctantly. "Sorry, Roxas…" He blurted out suddenly.

Roxas sat upright while staring back at his brother curiously. "For what?"

"I took everything away from you…" Sora continued miserably. "Your mom… who wouldn't need his mom in his childhood… the easier life, and..." He remembered the kiss he'd given his fiancée and frowned deeper to the floor. Then urgently, he looked up again and added, "But you should know that I tried, I really tried! Despite everything, you are still my brother…I would never intentionally do anything to hurt you. You know that… right?"

Slowly, Roxas started to smile despite his drowsiness. "Yeah… I know. You shouldn't blame yourself for everything… I was a kid back then and I couldn't understand why everything is happening, so I blamed you for it… But now I understand that it's not your fault."

"Yeah…." Sora replied hollowly after a while.

_A brief silence followed._

"What's the matter?" Roxas asked, eying his brother's figure with concern. "You look unusually down… is there something bothering you? …Did my mother say anything?"

"No, it's nothing, you just scared me is all," Sora replied instantly, shaking his head. "I'll leave you to rest okay?" He added hurriedly before standing up and going for the door. "Good night bro."

"Night..." Roxas replied unsurely as he watched his brother leave and gently close the door behind him.

Outside, a frustrated Sora clutched his fist tightly by his side. _'I couldn't face him…'_


	15. All For Love

Chapter 15: _All For Love_

_Shortly after, at the Queen's office…_

Someone knocked the door.

"Come in…" The Queen shouted wearily while sitting back down on her seat. She was up all night, reading up-to-date reports regarding the investigation to find out who ordered the assassination attempt of her son.

She stopped and her eyes widened in surprise when she noticed it was Sora.

She expected him to slump down on the sofa like he always did whenever he came here, but instead, he took a few steps toward her, stopped, and bowed his head a little.

"I'm back," he told her casually.

"I can… see that," she studied him carefully. "How is your… studying going along?"

"Great… I've learned a lot," he told her casually, shrugging quickly. "More importantly," his expression becomes grim all of a sudden, shocking the Queen again. "What are you doing with the people who tried to kill Roxas? Do you know who they are?"

"You shouldn't worry about that, Lord Ansem and the Head of security, Squall Leonhart and his team, are on it," then she stopped and shook her head slowly in disbelief. "I have terribly underestimated your intelligence..." She muttered under her breath quietly.

"I see… so you don't know who's the mastermind behind this yet…" Sora sighed. Slowly, he began turning to exit.

"Do you take me for a fool?" The Queen snapped after him icily all of a sudden, glaring at him. Sora froze, turning back and blinking at her curiously.

"I know that you've lied to us!" The Queen continued angrily. "You weren't studying the last five months. I have sent a messenger to deliver a letter to you, but he said that he wasn't able to find you…" She narrowed her eyes at him, standing up from her seat and walking over to him slowly with a grim expression. "You remind me of your mother… an exact replica of her…"

Sora stared down at his feet silently at the mention of his mother.

"All this time, you were playing us for fools! Pretending to be stupid when you could have been a great asset to us! Now I can see why your father ordered to take you in... You have extraordinary potential…I believe you will be more than able to help us create new alliances!"

He looked up at her abruptly, startled a bit. "New alliances? Do you mean…"

She smiled smugly. "But you don't have to worry about that now. Concentrate on your studies."

He shrugged, then nodded and turned again to leave.

"Wait, Sora…" The Queen stopped him again, suddenly remembering something. "There's going to be a sword competition held at the duchess's party tomorrow. I want you to come to participate. I, ahem, made a bet with the duchess… that my son would win against hers. I thought I'd be taking Roxas at first, you see, but in light of recent events, my Roxas clearly can't participate. So I suppose I have no choice but to use you instead, to honor our bet," she paused and gazed at him sternly. "You will come, right?"

"Yeah, sure," He gave a quick, casual shrug.

"You will? That is great..." The Queen looked surprised. The usual Sora didn't like royal events and would reject them vehemently. "I hope you are as good with the sword as Ansem had told me. He mentioned that you have beaten my Roxas quite impressively not too long ago…"

"I'll try my best, don't worry about it!" Sora grinned at her reassuringly then turned and left.

'_What a surprise. He has changed considerably…' _The Queen thought as she blinked at the door he'd left from in awe.

-o-O-o-

On his way to finding the location of his room to finally get some sleep, walking unusually silently through the nearly deserted hallways, Sora was reflecting deeply about certain things with himself, a sober expression on his face…

_'Where did they move my room?'_ He wondered frustratedly in his head, stomping around the hallways in circles. _'They must have reconstructed the castle while I was away! That's it…__**That **__must be why nowhere looks familiar anymore!'_

Suddenly, as he was moving, he had a **flashback**…

"_Are you... lost?"_

"_Me? Lost? Haha, n-no way!"_

"_You ARE lost. In your own castle!"_

"_I-I'm not! I just... don't know where I am... right now."_

"_Admit it, you're lost!"_

"_Don't worry okay? I can smell our way to the dinner... place!"_

He stopped in the middle of the hallway, smiling bitterly to himself. _'I wonder how she's doing…'_

-o-O-o-

_The next day – the day of the competition…_

Many royal and noble figures across the land were gathering in the sword arena at the Duchess' estate, sitting elegantly around the round tables surrounding the field where the matches would take place.

"I hear you're entering your younger son into the competition," The Queen's friend, the Duchess, sitting next to her at their table said incredulously then scoffed. "Are you serious? _Him_? I think I ought to tell you that I have heard all sorts of negative rumors about him…"

"Oh?" The Queen eyed her interestedly, looking calm and relaxed. "Such as…?"

"I have heard that he is an incompetent, unintelligent, foul-mannered, immature brat. I have also heard that he keeps getting in the way of your elder son," she let out a tired sigh and shook her head at her friend sympathetically. "It must be very troublesome to deal with him. I am sorry for you… to have such a useless son…" She kept shaking her head, sighing again.

"It is true… at first; I thought the exact same thing about Sora. But not too long ago I found out…" The Queen slowly began to say. "In reality, Sora is… Special."

"Oh? What are you implying? Don't tell me…" The Duchess sneered. "You think he will win against my son?" She burst out laughing out loud. "There's absolutely no chance _he_ will win against my Vaan!"

"We'll see," The Queen replied with a small, smug smile while gazing calmly at the entrance, waiting expectantly for Sora to show up already, win the competition, and make the woman next to her lose face.

-o-O-o-

On his way to go in the arena, Sora stumbled across Ansem, waiting for him at the arena entrance.

"A-Ah! Prince Sora!" Ansem greeted the brunette unenthusiastically, clearly not happy to see him back. He somehow managed a small, quivering smile. "I-It has been a long time, has it not? I, literally… _must_ say: it is absolutely… de-delightful… to see you back."

Sora rolled his eyes and grinned mischievously at the older man. "Hey Ans... You missed me didn't you?" He nudged Ansem's arm with his elbow with a wink.

Ansem tried hard to maintain his friendly smile. "Na-Naturally."

Sora chuckled and punched Ansem's arm jokingly, making him wince. "I missed you too!" He exclaimed cheerfully with a wider grin before walking past Ansem to enter the arena. "You were a good nuisance!" He shouted back.

"Why, thank— WHAT DID YOU SAY BRAAT?"

"Is Roxas here?" Sora asked casually after Ansem caught up with him.

Ansem nodded while walking beside the brunette. "He's recovered completely. Thank God he only drank a sip of the poison, or he'd been a goner," he sighed with relief. "In any case, His Majesty cancelled all his other plans to be here today. To watch you. I believe all of us here are eager to watch you. It is the first time in years you have actually agreed to partake in an event. I was… truly astounded when I was informed that you agreed to this…"

"…" Sora was gazing at the floor thoughtfully.

"Brat…" Ansem studied the brunette carefully while raising an eyebrow. "Are you going to take this competition seriously?"

Before Sora could reply, they noticed Marluxia coming toward them from the arena.

"Ah, you're here!" Marluxia exclaimed. "What a relief… I was starting to worry that you have forsaken us." He addressed Sora mockingly. "And that, from you, shouldn't be very surprising…"

"Hey~!" Sora showed off his best carefree grin, waving a hand at the pink-head. "Nice to meet ya!"

"…."

"Who are you?" Sora asked with an innocent smile.

"I-I'm the ambassador of the Hikari Kingdom….Marl—"

"Never mind, I'm off to the arena!" He went on ahead, waving at them with a carefree grin. "See ya Ans… Pinky!"

"_PINKY_?" Marluxia exclaimed in horror, and then glared at Ansem snickering in the background.

"I despise him," Marluxia muttered darkly, glaring at the brunette's back from the distance. "I can't believe the Queen allowed him to enter the competition! He will embarrass us greatly…"

"Expect the unexpected when it comes to Sora. Who knows? He might actually win," Ansem smiled a little at the pink-head.

Marluxia snorted. "He'll humiliate you all, you'll see!"

"We shall see…"

-o-O-o-

_Meanwhile, at Roxas' and Naminé's table_

"Are you sure you're alright?" Naminé asked the blonde prince worriedly. "Maybe you should have stayed back and rested—"

"You worry too much Nam," Roxas grinned teasingly, clearly elated over Naminé's sudden attention to him at last.

"But… maybe it's not safe for to leave the castle yet. Those who attempted to kill might try again…" She looked at him uncertainly.

Roxas shook his head, smiling. "The security's tight this time, and with so many talented fighters here present, I doubt they will try," he winked at her quickly.

"I see," she managed to return a small smile.

"Besides, I want to see Sora's performance," he confessed suddenly as he looked ahead of them at the arena. "I'm a little worried about him, to be honest…"

"Y-Your brother is here?" Naminé asked quietly, stunned. Her heart suddenly started beating quicker and quicker by the moment in her chest.

Frowning at the table, Roxas kept going, "He isn't being himself lately… It might be nothing but … I don't know… all of a sudden, he started taking things seriously and that's not like him at all…"

"What do you mean?" She asked as casually as possible, inwardly worried.

"You probably haven't heard yet but Sora is going to continue studying here from now on."

"..."

"Weird isn't it? It's completely unlike him…"

"People would take the throne for power, money and riches. Never before have I seen someone going this far for love. How foolish, don't you think?"

Naminé's eyes went wide suddenly, startled. They whirled around swiftly in their seats to see Lord Sephiroth behind them, smirking.

"What's that all about?" Roxas asked cautiously while raising an eyebrow at the taller duke.

"Oh excuse me, Your Majesty. I was just talking out loud to myself," Sephiroth bowed a little apologetically, smirking still. He turned his head to address Naminé, and his smirked stretched. "As beautiful as ever, Princess."

"Th-Thank you…" She replied hesitantly, blushing a bit.

Roxas glared at him, feeling wary of the intruder.

"Mind if I sit here?" Sephiroth took the seat next to Naminé, ignoring Roxas's uninviting glare. "This is going to be very exciting. Ah, look!" He pointed ahead of them at the table on the other side, where the Queen and the Duchess are. "Sora is here." Then he watched Naminé's reaction carefully as she and Roxas turned around to look where he was pointing.

"He'll beat everyone here easily," Roxas remarked confidently while gazing at his brother from the distance, inwardly feeling jealous.

Meanwhile, when Naminé's eyes fell on Sora taking the seat next to the Queen, she felt her breath catch up in her throat. Her lips parted slightly. _'It's really you…Sora…'_

Suddenly, Sora turned to glance cluelessly at her general direction, as if feeling someone's eyes on him. She quickly looked away at the table then.

Slowly, Sephiroth started to smirk smugly to himself.

-o-O-o-

"So this is your son, Sora?" The Duchess studied the brunette carefully, making him feel uncomfortable. "He looks fragile…"

Sora grinned back innocently.

"An airhead…"

His smile slipped off.

"Is this truly your other son?" She asked the Queen with disbelief.

An irritated Sora decided to ignore her offensive attitude and reached out for the fork in front of him on the table to eat his cake, accidentally knocking down his glass of water.

"Tsk… Clumsy too," the duchess shook her head at him, frowning.

His eye twitched irritatedly. _'This is why I hate these freakin' royal parties!'_

Suddenly, they heard a playful giggle coming from the person next to the duchess. "I think he looks kind of cute!"

Sora turned his head curiously to the blonde girl around his age, sixteen years old.

"This is my daughter, Penelo," The Duchess introduced her proudly.

"Hi!" She waved a hand at them, smiling cheerfully. "Nice to meet you. You must be Prince Sora!"

"Uh, yeah…" Sora replied sheepishly while throwing an arm behind his head. "Nice to meet you too."

"My, they seem quite compatible," Elena glanced at the Duchess. "Don't they, Victoria?"

The Duchess, Victoria snorted. "I haven't agreed to marry my daughter to your useless son yet. We shall see about it after the competition. But I can tell you, so far…" She analyzed Sora up and down with dissatisfaction. "I am not very impressed!"

"Don't worry; I don't want to get married anyway," Sora retorted out loud stiffly, looking away with an annoyed pout.

"He is joking!" The Queen whispered to the Duchess, smiling awkwardly.

"I hope so!" The Duchess huffed, glaring sideways at the uneasy-looking brunette. "If we like him, we'll take him! And he _better_ agree to it!"

"He will, don't worry!" The Queen quickly assured her, chuckling. "Sora is actually very special! You won't regret having him!"

_'Somehow, I feel like merchandise…' _Sora mentally sighed in the background, shrinking in his seat. _'Unwanted, bad selling merchandise…'_

Penelo smiled at him apologetically. "Sorry about that. My mother is a very nice person… usually."

Sora grinned back at her friendly, waving a dismissive hand in front of him. "Don't worry about it! I'm used to it!"

She smiled back friendly.

"Penelo, is Vaan with you?" The Duchess asked stiffly all of a sudden.

"Uh, yeah, he's right there!" She pointed at another blonde coming behind her.

As soon as Vaan came closer, he bowed formally at the guests – except Sora –before turning to face his mother. "The competition's about to start," He told her somewhat dejectedly, a depressed look on his face.

Sora sensed this and tilted his head to examine Vaan's dejected attitude curiously. _'What's wrong with that guy? He looks lifeless…'_

"Did you hear that Sora?" The Queen turned the brunette's attention to her. "You should go and get yourself prepared for your first match."

"Y-Yeah…" Sora nodded quickly, preparing to get up.

"Good luck Sora!" Penelo exclaimed after him suddenly, grinning.

Sora glanced back at her and sent her a quick smile before turning to leave with Vaan, who was frowning for some reason puzzling the brunette.

"Don't hold back Vaan!" Penelo added, winking at said Vaan.

Suddenly, a soft smile spread across Vaan's face. Sora blinked at it dumbly and then slowly started to smile, finally understanding the situation. _'I see. So that's how it is…' _

_**Flashback**__, a bit earlier before heading to the Queen's and the Duchess's table…_

"Yo Sora, hold up!"

Sora turned around curiously to find Axel and Demyx leaning against a large board.

"Aren't you going to check who your first opponent is?" Axel asked temptingly, pointing at the big board behind them.

Sora turned away from his destination temporarily and approached them, blinking curiously at the board. "Who is it?"

"Some guy named Vaan! Duchess Victoria's son!" Demyx told him cheerfully.

"Actually, no, he's not the Duchess' real son!" Axel said with a smartass smirk.

"H-He's _FAKE_?" Demyx exclaimed stupidly, gaping at the red-head dramatically.

They rolled their eyes at him.

"No you fucking moron!" Axel yelled irritatedly, glaring at the blonde. "He's _adopted_! He was brought into their family around the same time when their only daughter was born." Then, looking around warily, he added, "You shouldn't tell anyone about this though! It's supposed to be a family secret."

"Then how did _you_ know?" Demyx scratched his head dumbly.

"It's me, AXEL. I know everything!" Axel smirked arrogantly to himself, shrugging a bit.

"Adopted huh?" Sora kept staring at Vaan's name on the board with intrigue.

_**End of Flashback**_

-o-O-o-

Sora and Vaan were preparing to start the duel, standing opposite of each other, swords in hands.

Nearly everyone in the crowd was cheering on Vaan. Axel, Demyx and Kairi were one of the very few that were cheering on for Sora out loud.

Meanwhile, Roxas and Naminé were sitting calmly in their seats, watching the duel that was about to begin intently.

Sephiroth was sitting back in complete confidence, a smirk stretched on his face as he slowly turned to watch along everyone else.

"Who's that?" The crowd started murmuring, studying Sora.

"He is His Majesty's younger brother!"

"He looks weak!"

"I heard he's completely useless!"

"No wonder we don't hear about him…"

"He looks… stupid."

Sora grinned weakly to himself. _'What an uplifting audience…'_

Meanwhile, the Duchess was smiling smugly. "If only your son, His Majesty, could enter the competition instead. I fear poor Prince Sora is about to get very humiliated…" She chuckled to herself.

The Queen merely smirked silently beside her, not bothering to reply, her eyes fixed only on the match in front of them.

"Here, we have Prince Sora, from Twilight Kingdom!" The announcer exclaimed, motioning at the brunette's direction.

The crowd was silent.

Axel abruptly stood up and started clapping. He frowned around at the quiet audience. "Come on people; at least have some respect for him for taking on the challenge so courageously even though he's probably going to lose!"

"He's such a hero!" Demyx shook his head dramatically before sniffing into his handkerchief.

"You guys…" Sora smiled weakly.

Meanwhile, Naminé was feeling very bad for Sora. _'So mean… Everyone is being so mean!_' Anger was building up within her as she looked around the crowd. She was about to stand up to cheer for him when suddenly, a girl from another table a bit further from them pounded at the table in front of her abruptly while standing up. "YOU CAN DO IT SORA!" She shouted with all her might, capturing everyone's attention.

"Kairi…" Naminé blinked in surprise, recognizing the red-head.

"Good for him," Roxas murmured next to her, smiling. "He's got one true fan at least."

Frowning despite herself, Naminé looked over at Sora and clutched at her chest tightly.

He was smiling at the red-head.

When Naminé looked away quickly, not being able to bear the painful emotion of jealousy that suddenly flared within her, Sora turned his head and glanced at her direction.

Roxas nodded at his brother encouragingly. Sora responded with a quick smile before his eyes carefully traveled to Naminé.

She wasn't looking at him. She had her face turned away.

He frowned slightly and then quickly turned away to focus back on the match.

"Pitiful thing…" Sephiroth murmured, glancing slyly at Naminé and then adding in a whisper, "He was looking at you."

Naminé's eyes widened silently in shock. She quickly turned to look back at Sora, who was pulling out his sword, readying himself to start the match.

"…And there we have Lord Vaan, from the Twilight Kingdom, Duchess Victoria's son!" The announcer motioned at the other direction.

The crowd went wild. Especially Penelo, who was standing and clapping for him excitedly. Vaan drew out his sword and showed her the thumbs up sign, blushing slightly.

Closing his eyes peacefully, Sora drowned out the noise around him and clutched the silver crown necklace hidden under his shirt tight with one hand.

"BEGIN THE MATCH!" The announcer exclaimed suddenly.

-o-O-o-

_Only two minutes later…_

_Shock._ Complete and utter shock filled the entire arena. Everyone was silent for a while, gaping stupidly at the unexpected result of the match.

Sitting on the ground was Vaan, his sword lying neatly a few meters behind him. He was staring up at the tip of Sora's sword in total disbelief.

Suddenly, loud applause echoed throughout the arena. Everyone was cheering Sora's name.

The Queen turned to the Duchess, smirking with pride. "What do you think of our Sora now?"

The Duchess, who was gaping stupidly at the match, looked back swiftly at the Queen and nodded forcefully. "WE'LL TAKE HIM!" Elena laughed out loud in utter joy.

"Who _is_ he?" The crowd murmured again excitedly.

"Did he just… one-shot Lord Vaan?"

"Yeah! He knocked off his sword with one move!"

"What an incredible lad!"

"They must have been hiding him all this time! I couldn't even see his move!"

"Such fascinating performance…"

"Kyaaah! So handsome!"

Sora ignored the noise around him and lowered down his sword, staring down sympathetically at Vaan's devastated figure. "You like her, don't you?" He asked quietly.

"…!" Vaan's eyes went in horror, as if he had gotten busted for doing something unspeakably wrong.

"I noticed the way you smiled at her…" He scratched the bridge of his nose sheepishly. "It looked to me like you really love her!"

"Wh-What are you s-saying?" Vaan retorted nervously, blushing. "Sh-She's m-my _sister_!"

Sora blinked dumbly. "Sister? But I heard that you're adopted."

"…"

"You were brought into the Duchess' family around the same time when Penelo was born, weren't you?"

"Wh-Who told you that?" Vaan stared at him skeptically, somewhat hopeful.

"Axel… Ah! He said that it's supposed to be a family secret though so I'm not supposed to tell anyone!" He rubbed the back of his head, grinning sheepishly. "Oops."

Quickly, Vaan hurried toward the Queen's and the Duchess' table.

"M-Mom, is it true? Am I really adopted?" He asked breathlessly.

"H-How did you know? Wh-Who told you?" The Duchess asked nervously, shocked.

"So it's true!" Vaan exclaimed, grinning happily. "I'm adopted!"

"Why are you so happy…?" The Duchess began but Vaan had already left.

He rushed toward Penelo, grinning down at her while panting.

"Wh-What is it Vaan?" Penelo asked, blinking at him worriedly.

Suddenly, he cupped her face, pulled it towards him and tackled her lips passionately. She froze at first but then smiled, and wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing him back.

The crowd around them froze. All of them thinking in horror, _'INCEST?'_

"NOOOO~! WHAT ARE YOU DOING? YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO MARRY PRINCE SORAAA~!" The Duchess exclaimed devastatedly while dropping to her knees and sobbing on the floor. She was completely ignored though, as the couple was busy making-out in the background.

The Queen eyed her pitifully, but the smug smile on her face was evident. _'As if I'll marry our Sora to a family so worthless…'_She snorted mentally.

Sora was smiling softly at the couple, genuinely happy for them. _'Looks like I'm not going to get forced to get married after all… Thank God…'_He let out a sigh of relief. Suddenly, he noticed Riku approaching him.

"Oh Riku! You finally came!" Sora grinned from ear-to-ear at his best friend.

"Congrats," Riku told him coolly, smirking back.

"Thanks! You're up next!"

"Who am I against?"

Sora glanced at the board and smiled weakly. "Demyx…"

Riku yawned wearily in his hand. "Then it's going to be a piece of cake."

"Good luck anyway!" Sora said cheerfully, patting his back before walking past the silver-head toward the Queen's table.

-o-O-o-

_Meanwhile, at Roxas' and Naminé's table…_

"W-Wow… Sora was incredible! He won so easily… I knew he would…" Roxas said in awe while watching his brother from the distance. "I'm kinda feeling a little jealous!" He admitted sheepishly.

"You were right Roxas… Y-Your brother _is_ acting strange…" Naminé muttered worriedly all of a sudden.

Roxas studied her curiously, thoughtful.

She stared down at her lap in bewilderment. "Why would he…"

"...Suddenly start showing everyone what he's truly capable of?" Sephiroth finished for her easily; his smirk stretching when he noticed Naminé's shocked expression. "My guess is that he suddenly earned a motive."

'_Motive…?'_ Naminé wondered in her head confusedly just as Roxas rolled his eyes incredulously at the older man.

Sephiroth smirked smugly to himself, looking away at the match. "My son's match is about to begin. Let us watch."

-o-O-o-

_Meanwhile, Princess Kairi and Princess Larxene were watching Riku's and Demyx's match together…_

"Hey, Larx… Are you checking out Demyx?" Kairi asked the blonde with a sly look.

"Ew! Like I'd check out that wimp…" Larxene huffed, looking away abruptly. Kairi caught the slight blush on her cheeks and smiled.

"THE WINNER IS… LORD RIKU!" The announcer exclaimed.

The crowd applauded calmly, having been expecting the result. Riku ignored them and calmly exited the field, looking bored.

"M-My… ba-back… My… _leg_… My… _PANCREAS_!" Demyx wailed, his worn-out body sprawled on the ground.

Axel rolled his eyes at him from the sidelines. "Er…The last one is completely irrelevant man…"

"What a loser…" Larxene muttered with a frown.

Kairi shook her head at her, smiling. _'She so likes him…'_

The next match was Axel VS a random warrior. The red-head stared at his opponent stupidly. He had the worst luck so far as he was against a huge, disturbingly muscular man that was glaring and sniffing at him like an Ox ready to attack.

"So I'm against the sumo-wrestler man-eating giant?" Axel sighed, his shoulders slumping.

The big guy roared loudly, a gust of wind erupting from the powerfulness of his roar. The red-head stayed fixed where he was, wincing at the blow and the flying spit hitting his face.

Calmly, Axel raised a hand. "I forfeit." Then, smirking at his opponent, he added, "Look, it's nothing personal man! I know it's not like me to turn down a challenge but look at you and look at me… I'm a twig! One finger from you and I would break! Gotta take some safety measures… ya understand me big guy?"

_Another roar._

"Nice…" Axel winced, wiping off spit from his face and turning to leave the field.

From the sidelines, Tifa – captain of the women guards – palmed her face at him. "Coward!"

"How did I do babe?" Axel winked at her as he was coming.

Tifa stared at him blankly. "You're the worst. I hate you. Get away from me pervert."

"Playing hard-to-get, eh? Fine by me. I like challenge," he smirked devilishly.

"Too bad you don't stick through one long enough to win...Coward."

"_Man_, I love you!"

-o-O-o-

After a series of matches which Sora managed to win with complete ease, he finally claimed victory in his final match against Riku…

"Hmph," Riku snorted, kneeling down to pick up his sword. "You win."

The crowd cheered insanely, very excited. Sora, the one nearly everyone thought he wouldn't stand a chance, had indeed won the competition.

"But why?" Riku asked the brunette over the noise.

Sora blinked at the silver-head confusedly. "Why what?"

"Why did you let them make you enter the competition?"

Sora shrugged casually. "I _wanted_ to enter the competition…"

"This isn't like you."

"…" He stared quietly at his silver-headed friend. Riku narrowed his eyes carefully at Sora, noticing the sudden soberness which he knew meant that he was about to get a truthful answer from the brunette. And just as expected, Sora opened his mouth to say something.

"Sora!" The Queen waved at him suddenly to come.

"In a second!" Sora retorted before turning his attention back at the silver-head.

"Since when did you listen to everything _they_ tell you? Since when did you become their bitch? Don't you realize they're _using_ you?" Riku hissed angrily.

"I know…" Sora told him quietly with a sober expression.

"You… _know_?" Riku stared at him incredulously, outraged.

"It's fine by me!" Sora grinned casually with a shrug before turning to head to the Queen.

Riku watched him go with disbelief.

-o-O-o-

Because Duchess Victoria was having a 'family crisis' at the moment, she hadn't been able to be present to reward the winner of the competition. So everyone had agreed that King Roxas and his fiancée, Princess Naminé, should do the honors instead.

"You should be the one honoring him," Roxas told Naminé suddenly.

"Me?" Naminé stared at him like he's insane.

He chuckled. "Yeah. If _I_ do it, they might start thinking that I was favoring my brother. That _I_ was behind all his victories."

"No..."

Roxas smiled. "So _you_ should do it." He pushed the box with the silver medal necklace – the prize – toward her. "I'll wait for you here until you're done. Then we'll go back to the castle together."

She nodded, smiling back uneasily, and then took the medal from the box and went over to where Sora was waiting, feeling more and more nervous to meet the brunette for the first time after months with every step…

-o-O-o-

"Y-Your Highness…"

Sora turned around quickly at Naminé's voice, the surprised expression on his face evident when he noticed that she'd come alone. He noticed the prize in her hands, smiled, and then looked up at her eagerly, waiting.

Nervously, she stepped closer, carefully avoiding looking into his eyes, and hastily put the medal necklace around him. Then she gave him a quick, nervous smile before hurriedly turning to leave.

Sora stopped her on her tracks by finally speaking, "I go through all the trouble to win to impress—" He paused a little, as if he was about to say something else. "…everyone and you give me a half-hearted smile? Meanie~!" He pouted at her childishly.

She looked back only slightly to catch the cute pout on his face and smiled despite herself.

He grinned. "That's better!" And then leaning in a bit, he asked mischievously, "How did I do?"

"Y-You did well," Naminé replied as formally as possible, leaning back a little while staring at her feet, a slight blush on her cheeks.

"Well!" His pout deepened. "I did great, _say it_!"

She smiled softly at the ground, shaking her head. "Y-You were great…"

He grinned even bigger, thoroughly enjoying himself.

She started to turn again, about to leave, but then she stopped and looked back, though her eyes were fixated on the ground. "U-Umm..." She blurted out nervously all of a sudden.

Sora watched her, smiling. "Yeah?"

"Why did you suddenly decide to show everyone who you could really be?"

The smile on his face slipped, replaced by a grim expression. "Who could I really be... Princess?" He asked softly.

"A king."

"Do you really believe that?" He studied her quietly.

Naminé looked up; a firm look on her face.

He smiled. A real smile. Naminé's breath almost caught in her throat at the sight of it.

"Roxas is waiting," he told her softly before throwing his arms behind his head and walking away casually.

"…" Naminé watched him go silently for a while, and then smiled bitterly. _'You have changed... Then again... Haven't we all?'_

-o-O-o-

_Meanwhile, Lord Sephiroth and his son were having a conversation on their way home inside their carriage…_

"Where is your brother?" He asked Riku stiffly.

"Back at the castle's library."

"There again? He seriously misses the librarian? What does he see in her…?" Sephiroth sighed tiredly.

"He's just using her," Riku told him, shrugging carelessly. "Like how the council is using Sora…"

Sephiroth smirked. "So you noticed too."

"I don't understand it! They're shamelessly using him… and he realizes it!" Riku blurted out frustratedly. "Why is he doing this?"

"He is trying to impress the council. To prove that he is more capable and worthy for the throne…" His father explained wearily. "But it won't work… The only way to get the throne, he has to go against his brother. He will learn that eventually…"

Riku snorted, looking away in a huff. "I doubt that idiot can ever go against his brother…"

-o-O-o-


	16. Of Lies & Pretenses

Chapter 16: _Of Lies & Pretenses_

_Evening, during the social gathering held for the guests in the Great Hall after the tournment…_

Namine was standing by her and Roxas' assigned table, trying to lay low while watching Roxas socialize with a couple of people at another table from the distance as she is taking a sip of her drink.

Quietly, she started examining the area around her. _'He isn't here…' _She frowned sadly at her dress. Quickly, she shook the thought off her mind and began walking over toward where Roxas was standing.

"Lookin' for me?"

She froze midway, her heart beating very loudly in her chest

_'No… I have to keep walking…'_

"I sensed you looking for me…" The voice chuckled mischievously.

She could feel _his_ presence behind her even without looking.

"Don't bother to act distant with me," the voice said quietly.

"But we are distant," Naminé replied just as quietly, never turning to look at the person. "Since the beginning…"

"…."

"What?" Naminé retorted stiffly. "It's the truth."

And then, finally, she turned around to look at him. "Good evening, Your Highness." Naminé smiled at him formally, bowing a little.

He stared at her with bewilderment, surprised by her changed attitude toward him. Then, suddenly, he tried to grin. A half-hearted grin. "G-Good evening…"

"Please excuse me; I have to be with your brother," she bowed again, smiling politely, and turned again calmly to leave.

After looking around briefly to check that no one's watching, Sora grabbed Naminé's arm abruptly and pulled her back to his side.

"What happened to you?" He breathed out bewilderedly, studying her closely in confusion.

She stopped with her back to him, listening silently.

"What happened to wanting to be free? Rebelling… not following their orders anymore?"

She turned around halfway with a blank expression. "What happened to _you_?" She retorted calmly. "What happened to acting dumb and living carefree? I heard you were studying."

"…" Sora stared at her in a mixture of shock and disbelief, leaning back a little.

"Take care, Your Highness," she told him formally while maintaining eye-contact. Then she bowed again and walked off to join Roxas and people with him.

-o-O-o-

_Later, on the balcony_

Feeling bored, Sora left the party and went alone for one of the deserted balconies for fresh air. He leaned against the railing and gazed up at the moon in deep thought.

Suddenly, he heard footsteps coming from behind him. He turned around quickly, expecting a certain someone. "Na—" He stopped. It wasn't her. He let out a sigh and tried his best to grin at the intruder. "What's up Kairi?"

Kairi was pouting at him. "_What's up_? After months without seeing each other, is that all you have to say? You… _You_…" She raised an angry, shaking fist at him as she came closer and smacked the top of his head with it. "…_DUMMY_!"

"Ow!" He rubbed his head with a childish pout. "Thanks for the warm welcome…"

Abruptly, she threw her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly. "Where have you been…? We were very worried about you…" She muttered softly against his shoulder, referring to Riku and herself.

"K-Kairi…." He frowned and stared down at the red-head guiltily, wrapping his arms around her lightly. "I'm sorry…"

She shook her head silently, hugging him even tighter to her. Alarmed, Sora suddenly pushed her away from her shoulders gently. "What are you doing Kai?" He demanded uneasily.

She stared down at her feet quietly.

"Kai? What's wrong? You're acting weird…" He asked, examining her worriedly.

"Sora…" She began softly in a quiet tone. "I know."

Sora eyed her confusedly. "Know what?"

She looked up to locked eyes with him grimly. "Riku told me… the truth."

"What truth? What are you talking about Kai?" He asked frustratedly.

She smiled sadly at him. "Sora you're… you're too nice. All along, you were just trying to protect your brother… weren't you? That was why you—"

"It's all in the past," Sora interrupted quietly, turning away to face the railing. "Who cares about that now…"

_'Running away again huh? I won't let you!' _She thought determinedly. "Just answer me one thing…"

"What is it?" He questioned without looking back.

"Do you still love me?" He heard her ask faintly, hopefully.

_Silence._

"I love you Sora," she said suddenly in a very soft tone. "Always have…"

"I know," Sora nodded slightly, turning to smile warmly at her. "And I love you too… as a friend."

Kairi stopped smiling and turned her head to look at the scenery calmly. "I am confessing my love here to you, why can't you take me seriously?"

Sora let out a sigh, looking back at the scenery too.

"I love you more than a friend, you know that! Sure, I denied it before… but that's only because I was unsure of my feelings!"

"No," he retorted calmly, suddenly sober. "It was because you thought I was 'nowhere near your league'."

"What? No, I-I…"

"Admit it Kai," he told her calmly. "The reason you never confessed to me until now, after I won the tournament and everyone started acknowledging me… was because you thought you were too good for an idiot like me who Riku and everyone else used to be better than at everything."

"It doesn't mean that my feelings for you aren't true!"

"I know you care about me and I'm very glad to have good friends like you and Riku. You're the only people I can trust with everything; you'll always have a special place in my heart…"

She frowned at him before stating quietly and stubbornly, "I don't want to be just friends with you."

"Kai…" Sora sighed.

"No one understands you like I do!"

"No one…?" He mumbled under his breath, pondering over it deeply.

"Sora? Sora, are you listening to me?" Kairi cried exasperatedly when the brunette suddenly spaced off.

"Say Kairi…" He looked back at her curiously all of a sudden. "Do you believe that I'm capable enough to become king?"

Kairi was caught off-guard. She blinked at him confusedly a couple of times before saying, "Why? There's no need for you to become king, your brother is doing a good job so far. Also, his descendants will take care of the throne later on; you don't have to worry about it…" She stopped and studied him curiously. "What's that about?"

He shook his head simply while forcing a grin and moving to exit the balcony. "Nothing, I'm going back inside."

"Hey! Where are you going?" She yelled after him angrily. "You're not gonna disappear for God knows how long again are you?"

Right then, he noticed Naminé with Roxas conversing with a bunch of guests behind the glass. "No, I think I'm gonna stay in the castle a while…" He muttered quietly.

On his way to leave the party, a group of royalty stopped him to congratulate him over his victory:

"You are Queen Elena's mysterious younger son aren't you? Finally, we get a chance to see your face!" An old gentlewoman said, smiling. "Congratulations on winning the tournament! You were breathtaking!"

"Quite a handsome young fellow, just like His Majesty his brother!" Another woman murmured. "Congratulations! My daughter was simply in love with your performance! She's about your age, would you mind if I introduced you to her?"

"Prince Sora!" A man exclaimed excitedly. "Congratulations on winning the tournament! I must say, I hadn't expected you to win at all, you blew me away! What remarkable talent!"

"Where have you been hiding all this time?"

"Who is your instructor?"

"Are you single?"

"Would you mind joining us at our table?"

Sora smiled weakly, troubled, at the people piling around him. "Excuse me, I have to go!" He said hurriedly, then squeezed himself past the crowd and fled the hall, disappointing them.

-o-O-o-

_Later after the party, Midnight, at Roxas's chamber_

"How are you feeling?" Naminé asked softly, sitting next to Roxas on his bed.

"You worry too much Nam," Roxas chuckled lightly, smiling. "I didn't drink enough poison to kill or have any sort of negative effect on me. That's what the doctor said remember?"

"I remember. Still, with the people behind this attempt still on loose… I can't rest assured," she admitted quietly while staring down at her lap.

_Silence._

Suddenly, Roxas turned to Naminé solemnly. "Naminé… there's something I feel I have to tell you."

"What is it?" Naminé asked, blinking at him curiously.

"It's something Olette always nagged me to tell you…" He smiled nostalgically into space. "But I was gutless and chickened out every time…" He looked back at her and smiled softly. "I'm very grateful to you, Naminé. You saved me from myself..."

"Roxas…" Naminé gasped as her eyes widened in surprise, sensing where this is going.

"I didn't know who I was before. The king everyone wants me to become, or just Roxas. Since I didn't know who Roxas was before, I was in my own darkness. But then you came and illuminated my path. Now I know who I am, and what I want…" His smile became softer as he added, "I love you, but… I can't force my feelings onto you. That'd make you unhappy, and that's the last thing I'd ever want to do to you…" His smile turned somewhat bitter then.

Naminé gazed quietly back at Roxas. _'He looks sad… he must be hurting inside. All because of me and my idiotic fantasies about his brother…'_

_"Forget about Sora. He doesn't care about you. You are merely a sister-in-law to him. I'd be surprised if he even remembers your name…" _She remembered the Queen telling her a few days ago.

'_That's right… I should make my decision now. Move on, or continue suffering pointlessly…'_

Making up her mind, Naminé surprised Roxas by lifting a hand and caressing his face gently with it. He gaped at her stupidly, not believing this was happening, his sapphire blue eyes wide open in shock. She smiled angelically, and then, with her hand still on his cheek, she closed her eyes, leaned in and kissed him softly on the lips. He quickly accepted the invitation and deepened the kiss by pushing Naminé down on the bed with him over her. Their lips danced with each other in a heated passion.

And with every kiss, Naminé felt her heart gnawing at itself at her betrayal…

_Meanwhile, in the Sephiroth's family mansion…_

Zexion looked up from his book to observe his brother Riku, whose body was sprawled about coolly on the sofa, and a gloomy expression covering his handsome features.

"Why do you look sad?" Zexion asked coldly out of mere curiosity.

"I'm not," replied Riku bluntly, just as cold. "Shut up."

"Hmph, whatever. You are always depressing like this, it is your nature I suppose," Zexion rolled his eyes, sighing wearily. "I fail to understand why, however. Just by holding our great family's name… that honor alone should lift up your spirits," he smirked at Riku. "Lighten up, brother. Everything is going smoothly according to our plan."

"Hmph…" Riku looked away indifferently. "For our whole lives, it seems that we were just living for the old man's plan…"

Zexion raised an eyebrow at him suspiciously. "Are you complaining? Father does not like complainers," he reminded him darkly. "He'd punish you if he'd heard that."

"I'm just saying," replied Riku coolly with a slight shrug of his shoulders.

Suddenly, their father walked into the room. His eyes fell instantly on Riku, a frigid and solemn expression on his face. "Riku," he called for his son's attention. "The Princess of the Wutai Kingdom is on her way here to the Twilight Kingdom. I've been reported to that she is staying in an inn in a nearby village. Apparently, she plans to stay there for a while before heading to the castle."

"What does that has to do with me?" Questioned Riku coldly without looking at his father.

"According to my resources, the Wutai princess is coming to help them find the people responsible for the plan to assassinate the King. Since it were people of her own that helped us initiate the plan, she wishes to avoid conflict with the Twilight Kingdom by offering her cooperation in return.

You must meet with the Princess first while she's in the village, and find out how much she knows about the assassin group we work with. We cannot take any risk, if she knows anything…." His expression darkened. "We'll have to have her eliminated."

Zexion's eyes widened in shock. "B-But father! She is the Princess of the Wutai Kingdom! She is no easy target!"

"Second only to Sora in the skill of fighting," Sephiroth smirked at Riku. "I believe Riku is more than capable to deal with that woman by himself. We can't hire anymore assassins. Too risky. It will be a neat, one-man job. And it should be done now, while she's in the village – vulnerable and poorly guarded."

"Riku?" Zexion laughed crazily at the ceiling suddenly before looking down at his father in disbelief. "Riku has never killed anyone in his life! Allow _me_ to do it!"

"No, it won't do. You've told me that you plan to leave to the Spira Kingdom in a few days. Besides," he looked back at Riku, to Zexion's annoyance. "It is time for your brother to prove himself to me," said their father solemnly while gazing at Riku hard. "You will do it if you had to, won't you, my son? You will do whatever to restore your great family's honor… won't you?"

"…Whatever," replied Riku carelessly.

"Very good. You have a heart of steel! I have raised a true warrior!" Sephiroth smirked at him proudly before turning to leave the room.

Once he was gone, Zexion turned his head to glare at Riku enviously. "Hmph. Always you… Father's favorite son… No matter what I do, no matter how devotedly I try and work to put effort, he still looks only at you alone… Always you!" He shut his book angrily and exited the room in a huff, leaving Riku alone.

Riku let out a long, heavy sigh as he stared out the window at the cold, lonely moon…

_Next morning, at one of the castle hallways…_

Sora was on his way scouting for the dining hall for lunch – he overslept and missed breakfast – when he overheard two maids gossiping…

"You wouldn't believe it! The princess has spent the night at His Majesty's room!"

Every inch of Sora's body froze.

"Finally! About time!"

"Nothing like _that_ happened though, it was obvious."

"Still, that's a major development! The princess wouldn't even let him come close to her before!"

And then, finally the maids noticed Sora watching them stupidly and flinched, quickly scurrying off to do their jobs.

"Good morning, lazy brat! Finally decided to wake up?" Ansem greeted cheerfully, waving at the brunette as he came down the hallway with Marluxia by his side like usual.

Sora slowly turned to face them, a hollow look on his face.

Ansem and Marluxia stopped abruptly, taken-aback, and blinked at him as he went past them silently in a daze.

"What's the matter with His Majesty's brother?" Marluxia asked quietly. "I haven't been here for that long, but I already know that expression doesn't suit him."

"It is rather strange…" Ansem murmured back. "Perhaps he is in a bad mood because he has not eaten yet." Then they shrugged a bit casually and moved on.

_Later that afternoon at the arena, during Roxas's sword practice…_

Sora came into the arena, looked around searchingly, and then immediately spotted Naminé drawing on her sketchbook silently while sitting on a bench by herself.

He approached her sneakily, grinning mischievously as he crept behind her to take a peek at her drawing.

'_Last time I sneaked up on her, I caught her drawing me over Roxas… I couldn't believe it; I was speechless the whole time as I watched her draw. I felt strangely happy. But then I reminded myself that it was wrong, that I had no right to feel that way… so I said…'_

_"No, you got that wrong – Roxas's hair is not like that!"_

'_And just like all the other times, I had to pretend that I was clueless about all of it…'_

**Flashback**

Naminé froze at the sound of the voice coming directly from behind her. She dropped her pencil and slowly started turning her head back to find Sora in all his grinning glory, leaning causally on the bench right behind her.

She jolted out of the bench and turned around swiftly to face him, clutching her sketchbook tighter to her chest.

"Sora!" She gasped with delight, grinning.

Sora pretended that he didn't know what was going on, grinning back goofily.

_Silence._

"Who are you?" He said purposely.

The smile slipped off her face and was instantly replaced by a devastated frown.

**End of flashback**

With an automatic disappointed frown, Sora discovered that she was drawing a full portrait of Roxas during his practice with his instructor Cloud Strife.

He leaned away, circled the bench and sat wordlessly next to Naminé, pretending to watch Roxas's practice spar with Cloud.

Naminé stopped drawing suddenly when she noticed him, startled. "S-…Your Highness!"

"'Your Highness'?" Sora turned to her slowly with an irritated expression. "What did I tell you about calling me these things?"

"You remember?" Naminé blinked at him with mild surprise. "I thought you'd forget."

'_I remember. I remember everything…'_ Sora only grinned idiotically on the outside. "Remember what?"

She shook her head, smiling.

Suddenly, they hear some girlish giggling from arena's entrance. They turned their heads to find two princesses waving at Sora enthusiastically.

"Prince Soraa! Can we sit with you?" The two princesses asked, completely ignoring Naminé's presence.

"Sorry there's no space," Sora shrugged 'innocently', grinning.

Suddenly, Naminé quickly collected her things and stood up, smiling politely at the princesses. "You can have my seat." And then, calmly, she hurried over to where Roxas was, who'd just finished practicing and leaving the arena. They smiled at each other softly as they held hands and walked out together.

"Aw, they look beautiful together!" Tifa commented to Cloud in the middle of the arena, loud enough for Sora to hear.

Sora watched the couple leave stupidly, completely oblivious to the girls sitting on each his sides, talking about trivial things to his deaf ears. Soon, he abruptly stood up and left them.

Ansem, who'd just entered the Arena and heading toward him, groaned in annoyance. "See! That is what I meant that day; you never give the princesses a chance! How are you supposed to—"

But Sora whooshed by him out of the arena, never hearing a word he'd said.

_Later that day, alone in front of the lake…_

Sora and Riku were sitting side by side near the lake shore, watching in front of them calmly. The silver-head was listening intently to Sora as he opened his heart to him, a solemn look on his face.

"Riku… I know you said you have somewhere your family wants you to go soon, sorry about that. I called you here because you're the only person I could talk to about it while trusting you to keep it between us," he told his friend apologetically.

Riku shook his head calmly. "It's alright. My thing can wait a few minutes."

Sora nodded and turned to lake again silently for a while. Then he continued talking softly, "Memories of her… I wanted to be forgotten. But…they keep getting back to me. I think I chose the wrong decision, rather than try to forget or ignore them, I should…"

"You should what?" Riku countered sharply. "As long as your brother is in the picture, there's nothing you can do. She's _his_. You should forget her, like you planned."

"I tried, but I couldn't do it…" Sora said miserably, hanging his head low between his legs. "I can't take it anymore... whenever I see her with Roxas, I get this tight feeling in my chest like someone is choking my heart…it's never stopped, it's only getting worse…"

Riku studied him quietly for a while. "You're serious about her… way more than you were about Kairi." He sighed. "This is not good Sora. You will suffer, the same way your father suffered with your mother.

Since he met her, he had to live with the pain that she can't belong to him, they weren't meant to be. All that pain piled up and made him suffer emotionally, and when she finally left him… that's when his 'sickness' started. His emotional state affected his health and he slowly began to die…" His expression became grim. "Sora. If you can't stop yourself from loving her then this is what will happen to you too in the long run, you will be just like your father… you must do something about your brother!" He urged him darkly.

_Silence. _Riku started at the brunette expectantly.

"No," he finally said, making the silver-head frown. "Roxas is innocent. And he loves her too. I can't do anything about it."

"Your _brother_ is the obstacle you have to obliterate!" Riku blurted out angrily all of a sudden, unable to control himself anymore.

Sora studied his friend suspiciously, speechless. "What's wrong with you Riku? Do you know what you're saying?"

"…" Riku stared back at Sora calmly for a while. "It was us." He confessed to him emotionlessly all of a sudden.

"Huh? What are you talking about?" Then his eyes widened widely in shock as realization hit him. "Wait... no... Roxas's assassination attempt…It was…_you_?" He gasped in disbelief. "Tell me it wasn't!" The brunette exclaimed desperately when Riku didn't reply.

"…"

Sora immediately stood up on his feet, followed by Riku. "You tried to kill my brother!" He gasped with disbelief, his face ashen.

Abruptly, Riku snapped, "But he took everything away from you! You should hate him – he always hated you!"

"That's a LIE! We may didn't have a good start, but then we grew closer as brothers. But you…" He shook his head at Riku, hurt. "You betrayed me!"

"I was doing you a favor!"

Sora scoffed. "You were helping kill my brother, how was that a favor!"

"Hmph…" The silver-head snorted in annoyance, looking away. "So that's how it will be…"

Sora was frowning at his friend sadly. "Why did you do this Riku? I trusted you… I thought you were my best friend… why'd you do this?"

Riku stared back at him with a cold, icy glare. "To restore my family's honor. I don't care about anything else."

"You don't…care?" Sora repeated in disbelief, a devastated look on his face. "I thought you were my friend…the only one I trusted, ever since I was brought to this place, ever since I met you... I always thought I just made my very first friend," he looked down miserably. "I'm naïve…"

Suddenly, Sora looked up with some hope, "Is it your family? Are they making you do this? Wake up Riku! What they're doing is wrong—"

"We're going to take back our power and our pride," Riku continued darkly. "And we're going to destroy everyone who has ever belittled us. Namely, Princess Naminé's famil—"

"NO!" Yelled Sora suddenly, alarmed. "Naminé is innocent! Keep her out of it!"

Frowning grimly, Riku continued, "What are you planning to do? Their wedding is less than a few weeks away… are you just going to sit back and watch… watch as Naminé marries your brother and becomes his Queen, while you, the true heir that no one acknowledges, become Queen Elena's and the council's puppet…doing whatever they tell you like a fool… Just to be thrown into a loveless marriage in the end.

Is that what you're planning to do? Then you're pathetic. All you do is lie and hide behind your foolish smiles while doing nothing! Do you expect everything to resolve itself by itself? You're an idiot. Your brother will get everything, and you will just smile about it… Because you're an _idiot_!"

"What do you want me to do?" Retorted Sora helplessly.

"Let my family help you!" Riku replied instantly, taking a step forward toward Sora, urging him.

"Never!" Sora retorted back almost immediately, shaking his head.

"Why?"

"Because the way you're doing it is wrong," Sora replied calmly with a firm look. "And I'm Roxas's older brother. I should protect him, not hurt him."

"Fine," Riku snapped, scowling irritatedly. "Stay an idiot. But one day, you will regret it. You already let Kairi go, and now Naminé, because you want to 'protect your baby brother'. But what has your precious brother ever done to you? Even while thinking _he's_ your older brother, he never really cared about you. Why must you be the one doing all the sacrifices? _You_ have to wake up Sora. You're letting yourself be used by everyone!"

"There's nothing else I can do!" Sora shrugged frustratedly. "My hands are tied…Dad's dead, and no one would look at me as the true heir!"

"Hmph. We offered you a solution, you should just take it."

"But why?" Sora asked in bewilderment. "Why do you want me to take the throne? Does your family think I'd be easier to control? Then they're wrong! I will never let your evil family has its way with my dad's kingdom!"

Riku shrugged genuinely, equally puzzled. "That's something you should ask my old man about yourself. Even I don't know why he wants you to rule and how that'd help our family."

Suddenly, Riku turnd around to leave, but not before looking back through his shoulder and adding slyly, "'Careful Sora. Your mask is slipping. Seems like the more you fall in love with her, the worse you get at hiding it. You don't want the others to find out too, do you?"

Sora watched his 'best friend' go with a devastated frown. _'Riku… Why….?'_

_Evening, the library_

Naminé goes to the library alone. Upon entering the library, she found Roxas all by himself sitting at a table while staring down blankly at a book between his hands, looking deeply absorbed in his thoughts.

"Are you alright?" She asked softly while stepping toward him.

Roxas looked up abruptly and turned to smile briefly at her. "Yeah."

"You should be sleeping," she scolded him gently.

He shook his head a little while looking back down at the book between his hands. "Nah, I'm not sleepy."

"What are you reading?" Naminé asked curiously while taking the seat next to him and sitting down.

"A book…" He answered aloofly.

"I can see that," giggled Naminé softly.

Roxas chuckled sheepishly at himself before explaining, "It's a book… Olette used to love a lot," he smiled bitterly down at it. "She'd always nag me to read it. But I never had the time…"

"…" Naminé listened to him intently before asking softly, "You're missing her, aren't you?"

"A little," he admitted with a small smile. "She's one of my closest childhood friends after all. Walking into the library without her in it…" He trailed off, frowning to himself.

Naminé's frown deepened when she saw him down like this. She stood up abruptly, trying to brighten up the mood. "Since you have free time now, how about you spend it reading this book?" She smiled at him encouragingly. "I'll go pick myself a book to read as well! Then we can read together!"

She hurried off to the bookshelves behind them, hastily trying to find a good book. Roxas looked up curiously at her when she accidentally knocked down a couple of books.

"Oh no!" Naminé quickly kneeled down to pick them up.

He chuckled lightly while going over to her, kneeling down beside her to help her. "You're so clumsy Olette," he chuckled a little more while handing her over the books. Then he froze slightly when he realized what he'd just called her.

Naminé smiled sympathetically at him before quickly taking the books from him, pretending that she hadn't heard it. "Thank you!"

Roxas nodded absentmindedly before dejectedly going back to the table.

Naminé sighed deeply, putting down the books and going to their table. She put a caring hand on his and leaned her face toward his closely in concern. "Are you okay?"

Suddenly, a book slammed onto their table next to Naminé. They looked in that direction, startled, only to find none other than Sora staring their way, not looking very happy.

Naminé stared at Sora in surprise; he avoided looking back at her.

"At this time, in the library?" Roxas glared at his brother in annoyance.

Sora held up a book at him while answering hollowly, "Read."

"You're holding that book up-side-down," Roxas pointed out while rolling his eyes.

Sora sighed, letting the book fall on the table carelessly.

They eyed him worriedly.

"What's wrong? You look… depressed," Roxas pointed out incredulously.

Suddenly, Sora forced out a yawn, stretching his arms in the air. "I'm just sleepy!" Then he looked back at them and grinned goofily.

"You're showing your face more often… Normally, you'd be away from the castle by now," Roxas expressed out loud bemusedly all of a sudden.

Sora ruffled his hair suddenly while looking through the book on the table, frustrated. "Ahh too many words! The letters are so small... hurts my brain…"

They laughed at him lightly, with Roxas shaking his head at him.

Suddenly, Sora groaned tiredly, and turned away from the book to face them. "Now I understand how hard it is to be you… Having to read books like this all the time…"

Roxas narrowed his eyes at his brother cleverly. "Why are you here at this hour, _really_?"

"Chillin'…" Sora replied casually, throwing himself back comfortably on his chair and staring at the ceiling innocently.

"In the library?" Roxas raises an eyebrow.

Sora shrugged. "Yeah, because it's normally quiet… And no one will expect to find me here!"

"Hn..." Roxas looked away calmly.

The brunette narrowed his eyes skeptically at his brother. "You don't believe me?"

"I didn't say that," Roxas replied calmly.

"You implied it!" Sora pouted childishly, pointing at Roxas accusingly.

"How?"

"You said 'Hn'!"

Roxas rolled his eyes wearily, looking away with a short sigh. "You're such an idiot…"

Naminé was smiling warmly in the background at their little brotherly quarrel.

"Where's your friend, the loud librarian today?" Asked Sora abruptly while scanning around them curiously, searching for Olette. "Weird, she didn't kick me out of here yet…"

Suddenly, a moody silence filled the air. Naminé turned her head to stare at Roxas sympathetically.

"Oh right…" Sora scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "I heard from Ansem… She's gone to Spira…" Then he asked his brother casually, "By the way, why aren't you in bed? You look tired."

"I'm fine!" Roxas retorted exasperatedly.

"Your brother is right," Naminé turned to Roxas worriedly. "You should be in your bed, resting. You almost lost your life a couple of days ago…" Her expression suddenly became grim, surprising the two brothers. "Those people who tried to kill you…" She murmured in a grave manner. "I won't forgive them."

"Naminé…" Roxas blinked at her in awe.

"…" Sora stared down at the floor quietly while biting his lower lip.

"Hey, Sora, where's Riku?" Roxas asked innocently all of a sudden.

Sora looked away nervously while scratching the back of his head. "U-Uhh… I don't know. He said he had somewhere he had to go…"

Naminé turned her head to watch Sora's reaction with quiet concern, sensing his distress.

"I was wondering because he didn't come to see me when I woke up… His father and," with a distasteful look he said Zexion's name, "Zexion did, though… I was too weak then, so I couldn't ask them about Riku."

Sora shrugged. "Maybe he came later while you were asleep…"

"Yeah… Maybe."

Abruptly, right in front of a dumbfounded Sora, Roxas leaned in and kissed Naminé on the cheek.

Naminé blinks confusedly at the blonde's face as it retreats a few centimeters away from her own.

"I'm here y'know," Sora muttered moodily under his breath.

"Alright, I'm going to bed. Good night," he winked briefly at her, smiling, then he stopped and added through his shoulder before exiting the library, "Don't stay up too long okay?"

"I'll follow you in a minute," Naminé replied. And then Roxas left, leaving the two alone.

_Awkward silence. _Naminé pretended that she was concentrating on the book she was reading. She was almost a few pages away from the ending, but her mind wouldn't comprehend anything she was reading because of a certain brunette's presence.

"You'll follow him?" Sora questioned out loud curiously while trying to sound casual.

"U-umm… w-we share the same room now," she told him uncomfortably while gazing down at her book.

"Oh, you do? Hmmm…" He leaned back on his chair and continued gazing at her in silence. _'Their second night together…' _He thought uneasily to himself, frowning.

Suddenly, Naminé stopped reading and placed the book on the table. "Is there something you wish to talk about?" She blurted out without looking at him.

"H-huh?" Sora was taken-aback. He blinked at her, wide-eyed. "How did you know?"

"Does it have to do anything with Riku…?" She asked carefully. "I noticed you looking distressed when Roxas mentioned him…"

Sora closed his eyes tightly while gritting his teeth hard, as if trying to suppress something.

"Sora…" Naminé mumbled worriedly at his expression. She stretched her hand to touch him, but then quickly withdrew it.

"You called me by my name… finally," he smiled at his lap softly with some kind of relief. A true smile. Then his expression became solemn suddenly as he continued, "I'm going to tell you this because I need at least one person close to Roxas to be aware of it, to keep him safe."

"Tell me what?" She stared at him anxiously.

Sora looked around them to make sure no one is there. Then he looked back at her and revealed grimly, "Riku and his family….are the ones who tried to kill Roxas."

Naminé's eyes widened in a mixture of shock and disbelief. "R-R-Riku… and his family…? Lord Sephiroth? A-Are you sure?"

"He told me himself…" He closed his eyes again miserably and added in a quieter tone, "He was serious…"

"Sora…No…." She mumbled sadly with a frown, her heart breaking for Sora.

"I'm pathetic; I can't do anything to save Riku from his family's influence…" He looked sideways at Naminé with a desperate look. "I know he's good! I knew him since we were kids! And I've always felt something dark in him… it's his family. I want to help him… but what can I do?"

'_Sora is opening his heart to me…'_ She thought with bitter joy. Then her frown deepened. _'But….'_

Suddenly, Sora let out a short, helpless sigh as he continued, "I'm useless and powerless… always making stupid, childish mistakes. I wasn't a good son to my dad, I couldn't make him proud. I couldn't even protect my little brother from my best friend. And I can't make the ones I love happy… All I can do is cry… I'm such a crybaby. How uncool huh?" He chuckled bitterly with a shaky voice as a single tear trickled down his cheek.

Gently, Naminé took Sora's face in her hands and turned it to her slowly. He froze and stared at her hopefully. She wiped away his tears with her hand, looking into his eyes while smiling tenderly. "You aren't useless," she told him softly. "True, you have your oddities and flaws… Everybody does."

"…" Sora was watching her with his hopeful, blue eyes wide open, listening quietly.

"I believe that the others don't know you very well… But I do!" She smiled at him encouragingly. "And true, there's a child in you that hasn't grown up at all. Maybe it wants to remain this way forever, clinging to happiness and innocence it once knew when it was little with his mother… refusing to move on.

But there's also a serious, mature side of you that has gone through and experienced a lot. Both of these sides make you unique! You have a big heart, Sora. And you're very strong… Even with what everyone put you through, you still smile. And I think… if you were to become king… you'd make the best king this land ever had," her gentle smile stretched reassuringly. "I believe that."

_Silence._ Then Sora grinned abruptly to himself while turning away from her touch, hiding a blush. "You're amazing…"

She giggled a bit, shaking her head and smiling at Sora warmly. "You already called me that once, or have you forgotten?"

"But it's been like what, months? I'm saying it again," he leaned back uncomfortably while avoiding looking at her. "Tha-Thanks, I feel better!" Then he paused and hesitantly turned his face to stare at her softly for a while, making Naminé feel nervous.

Suddenly, she was aware of how close their chairs were to each other. She looked up to meet Sora's eyes and found them gazing intently back at her. Naminé quickly looked away._ 'No… I can't. I should stop thinking of him this way…'_

"U-Umm!" She stood up abruptly. "I-I should go to bed… Roxas is probably already asleep by now."

'_Good,'_ Sora thought as he watched her leave. Outwardly he forced a goofy grin. "Night, Bro's Wife!"

"G-Good night…" She replied hesitantly then stopped suddenly and turned around. "Aren't you going to bed as well? It is late…"

Sora looked around them at the dark library and shrugged. "I think I'll sleep here tonight."

Her eyes widened a bit. "In the library?"

"Yeah, it's pretty quiet, no one would disturb me in the morning," he shrugged, grinning. _'And I can't sleep well knowing you and Roxas are in the same room together just a few doors away…'_

"Aren't you scared? Alone in the library, at this hour?" She looked around them and shuddered a bit.

He shrugged simply, still managing to maintain his grin.

"You're brave…"

He laughed, and then smiled softly at her as she turned away. "Good night… Naminé."

She smiled nervously back at him a bit and hurriedly left. Once he was alone, Sora sighed helplessly and slumped his head down on the table. _'Why do my feelings only get stronger? Why won't they go away…?'_

_Roxas's room…_

Naminé had just come into the room; she stood in the corner in front of the closet, almost about to unzip her dress to get into her night gown.

"Don't force yourself. You can sleep in your own room."

She stopped suddenly, alarmed, and turned to Roxas's sleeping figure on the bed, his back to her. She looked at the floor reluctantly for a while before sighing and changing into her nightgown nonetheless.

Then, as she climbed on the bed next to Roxas, she forced a nervous chuckle and reached a hand to touch his shoulder gently. "But we're engaged to be married…"

Abruptly, Roxas turned suddenly and pinned her down, and just as he expected, she quickly tensed and turned stiff against his touch.

"…" He stared at her panicked expression blankly, and then calmly let her go and rolled away back to sleep, facing away from her. "Don't force yourself," he repeated softly.

Naminé, frowning, turned away and gave him her back as well. _'I'm so sorry Roxas… I'm really trying… but it's hard, your brother is everywhere lately…'_

_Next morning…_

Roxas woke up the next day to find Naminé sleeping next to him, in her super tiny white night gown, that didn't even leave much room for imagination. He stared at her for a while, mesmerized by her flawless beauty. Naminé woke up soon after that, realized Roxas was staring at her, and shyly pulled up the blanket to cover herself.

"G-Good morning…" She said while staring downwards embarrassedly.

Roxas smirked. "Good morning."

He moved in to kiss his fiancée. Naminé, like all the other times, tensed as his lips were almost on hers. Suddenly, they heard the piercing sound of crashing and shattering of glass. They froze and turned to listen curiously.

"BRAAAAAAAT!" Ansem's loud scream echoed throughout the entire castle.

Roxas groaned, pushing away the blanket and getting out of the bed. "Probably Sora," he said with a sigh. "It's normal, him causing havoc… he wasn't around much since you came here, but now he is… you'll get used to it…"

Naminé smiled weakly. _'His presence is haunting me… when he's around, I wish he would leave again so I can learn to love his brother instead…And when he's not, I long for him so much that it hurts.' _The smile on her face disappeared completely as Roxas disappeared into the bathroom. _'Why can't we choose who we love…?'_

Later, Roxas emerged from the bathroom and went into the closet to dress up. Naminé remained where she was sitting on their bed, lost in her thoughts.

"What's wrong?" Roxas asked worriedly after coming out of the closet, fully dressed. He bent down by the bed, took Naminé's hands in his and studied her expression carefully.

She shook her head, smiling forcefully. "Nothing. I just wish to rest a while longer."

He smirked, getting up again. "You beat Sleeping Beauty…" He joked. "You're always sleeping."

She looked down and chuckled sheepishly a bit. _'That's right… I have been sleeping a lot. For the past five months… I kept sleeping because I just wanted the long, long days to be over… and I was hoping that when I woke up the next day, your brother would be back… Even though I planned to move on, a part of me could never do it…'_

Suddenly, she noticed Roxas was studying her worriedly. "Are you still depressed?" He asked softly, frowning a bit.

She shook her head, smiling wider forcefully. "I'm just a little tired…"

"…" He let out a helpless sigh eventually and turned to leave. "Don't be late for breakfast." Then he left their room and closed the door behind him.

Naminé fell back on the bed with a sigh of her own.

_"You're amazing…"_

She closed her eyes forcefully, trying to suppress thoughts about Sora. But she couldn't help it. She couldn't stop thinking about their talk yesterday night at the library, when he opened his heart to her for a moment and told her about his feelings and insecurities. The way he stared at her after he said she was amazing…

She smiled to herself sheepishly. _'I don't think he ever opened up to Kairi the same way like that.' _Her smile stretched happily. _'That must mean something…'_

Suddenly, Selphie entered the room with a new clean gown for Naminé to wear. "Morning Princess! Are you having naughty dreams about Prince Sora again?" She teased, grinning with mischief.

Naminé's face exploded into a blush instantly. She sat upright abruptly, pouting at the brunette maid. "You're being too loud! What if someone heard you?"

"Hurry up and get ready! Everyone's having breakfast downstairs already and His Majesty is asking about you!" Selphie told her before leaving the gown on the bed and closing the door behind her.

After washing up in the bathroom, Naminé went back to put on the gown. She was taking off the night gown when the door busted open suddenly.

"Hey Roxas—" The person froze, gaping at Naminé stupidly at the doorway. She was pulling down the night gown and the person barged in just as it was slipping down her breasts, exposing a large portion of it.

It was Sora.


	17. Sky is Sad

**CHAPTER, COMPLETE!**

A/N: Yo! Just wanted to let you know that I have changed the kiss scene in chapter "Kiss & Run", do check it out again! It's worth it and important, since a lot of stuff have been added!

* * *

Chapter 17: _Sky is Sad_

This was probably the most embarrassing moment in Naminé's life. Of all the people who could have walked in on her… it had to be _him_.

"Uhhh…" Sora stared at her stupidly, mouth agape. He had only intended to escape Ansem's wrath for breaking one of his precious antique vases by seeking his brother. He didn't mean to walk into his brother's fiancée stripping instead, nor did he mean to keep staring at her like a pervert as he stood there at the doorway, one hand still on the doorknob.

When Naminé saw that he was still staring at her, she immediately hugged her chest, blushing bright red.

_Awkward silence._

"Looks like Roxas is not here!" Sora said hurriedly, bowing his head down and quickly shutting the door.

She stood where she was for a while, dumbstruck. _'He saw me…I'm sure he saw me… yet he didn't seem to have any sort of reaction whatsoever!' _She sighed out loud miserably and slumped down onto the bed. _'Am I that unattractive, or is he just impossible?'_

Meanwhile, outside in the hallway, in his quest to find the Dining Hall, Sora was walking around in a daze. A couple of guards passing by eye him oddly as he suddenly crouched down in the middle of the hallway, covering his face to hide his extreme flush from them. _'Ca-Calm down, me...! She's your brother's fiancée! Remember that dammit!' _Mentally, he cursed at his misfortunate too, for he positively knew that what he had just seen will haunt and torment him for a long, miserable – and not to mention: _frustrating_ – time.

_Later, The dining hall_

Everyone at the table was gazing at Roxas and Naminé with a smile, going on and murmuring about how lovely they look together.

Naminé was smiling back at them uneasily, totally avoiding looking at her fiancé's brother – still feeling embarrassed over earlier. Sora grew irritated over her completely ignoring his presence and ate his food moodily, munching at it with ferociousness.

"What a mature and refined looking couple!" Exclaimed Marluxia with a content sigh. "Hope you had a good night's sleep!"

"Hey… Pinky!" Sora called Marluxia somewhat irritatedly all of a sudden, glaring at him. "Shut up and pass me the bread basket!"

Marluxia frowned. "I will not, Your Highness… Not until you call me by my name!"

"Marshmallow… Marmalade… Mar-something, just give me the dang basket!" Sora rolled his eyes, holding out his hand impatiently.

"There you are, getting competitive with your brother again!" Ansem complained, shaking his head at the brunette. "Do you feel lonely? Is that it? Do you have a need for female companionship?" As soon as he said that, Kairi came into the dining hall. "Ah, perfect timing Princess!" Ansem beamed at her. "You should sit next to Brat!"

Sora stopped eating and looked away uneasily as he sensed the red-head take the chair next to him and edge it closer.

"Good morning Sora!" Kairi exclaimed cheerfully, smiling her best at him.

"G'morning…" was Sora's halfhearted, somewhat uneasy reply. He automatically glanced at Naminé at the other side of table to find her still ignoring even looking at his direction, talking softly with Roxas. He quickly looked away when he realized what he was doing. _'Why do my eyes automatically fall on her?' _Suddenly, he remembered what Riku had told him yesterday at the lake:

**_"'Careful Sora. Your mask is slipping. Seems like the more you fall in love with her, the worse you get at hiding it. You don't want the others to find out too, do you?" _**

The brunette looked down gloomily at his plate, frowning. _'More importantly, what am I going to do about Riku and his family…?'_

"Where's Riku?" Kairi asked abruptly, snapping the brunette prince out of his thoughts immediately.

"Lord Riku and his family are not present at the table," Ansem stated obviously, looking around them.

Kairi raised a tedious eyebrow at him. "I know that. Thank you, Captain Obvious."

Roxas and Naminé turned to them and snickered as Ansem started grumbling unintelligibly at her under his breath, "…Brat's fault… bad influence… Insolent young lady…"

"Master Sephiroth and his sons are staying in their Mansion," one of the gentlemen sitting across the table informed them. "I heard that they are occupied with their family affairs."

"What affairs?" Kairi questioned out loud before turning to Sora curiously. "Did Riku tell you anything of it?"

Naminé glanced at Sora sadly as he nervously shook his head at Kairi. "Nope."

"That's strange," Roxas murmured. Sora turned to him warily, desperately hiding his nervousness. "You tell each other everything."

"Yeah…" Kairi nodded a bit while looking at Sora with suspicion, pouting jealously. "You're closer to him than you are to me."

"Ah," Ansem turned to a random lord sitting beside him, smiling. "Since these two were merely young lads, they have always been inseparable…"

Sora looked down at his lap gloomily, hiding his face from everyone. Naminé glanced at him with a pained expression, her heart aching for the brunette prince, and then quickly had to divert her gaze away, as to not attract suspicion.

"…The Troublesome Duo, as I always used to called them," Ansem continued, chuckling lightly to himself. "Although, Lord Riku has never misbehaved, he is a true nobleman's son. It is Brat who drags others into his own mischievous schemes!" He shot Sora a distasteful look.

Later, as everyone was leaving the dining hall, Kairi, who was walking by Sora's side behind the rest, turned to him suddenly, "Are you sure Riku didn't tell you anything?"

Sora bit his lower lip while looking away, pretending to be not paying attention.

"Sora!" Kairi stared at him carefully. "Are you hiding something from me?"

"We just got in a little fight, that's all," he told her impatiently, sighing.

"I don't like this… You're behaving very strangely…" She muttered quietly while frowning.

He chuckled lightly, grinning. "Leave it, Kai. Please. We'll… come around eventually, I promise, okay?"

"You better," she scolded him playfully, smiling, and then, looking back ahead of them, she noticed Naminé among the people walking beside Roxas, and told him softly after a while, "Stay by Naminé, okay? For me."

Sora turned and blinked at her skeptically, tense. "Sure… But… why? I-I mean, why are you telling me this?"

"Because she's going through a tough time you idiot! Roxas, her _fiancé_, almost got _killed_!" She replied frustratedly. "She needs someone beside her y'know! I'd have stayed but I have important family stuff to take care of back at home."

"O-Oh," he hung his head lower to stare at the floor. "I get it…"

"Listen," Kairi stopped suddenly, holding his arm lightly to make him pause with her.

Sora looked up at her, his blue eyes blinking curiously.

"Naminé must really love Roxas!" She whispered with a serious expression. "It's not just an arranged marriage anymore… They do love each other. When I went into your brother's room to see how he was doing, I saw her by his bed; clinging to him while crying tears of relief…I was so touched by how much she cares about him!"

"…" Sora listened quietly, his eyes sinking back to the floor gloomily. "Why are you telling me this?" He finally asked in a soft, sorrowful tone that Kairi failed to notice.

"So you'd understand you idiot!" She hissed, pouting cutely. "They need your presence and support! Especially at a time like this! Tell me, where were you when your brother was nearly killed? You should have been there!"

"…" He hung his head lower shamefully.

Kairi was immediately taken-aback when she noticed the distraught look on Sora's face. "I'm sorry!" She blurted out gently, touching his arm.

He pulled his arm away slowly, shaking his head. "It's okay... You're right... I should have been there for him… I just- I just couldn't stand being here!"

"You were running away from your responsibilities weren't you," she stated while wearily rolling her eyes.

"I was not running away from my responsibilities," he retorted, offended.

"Then what were you running away from?" She asked piercingly, only to be responded by a long silence and a blank expression from the brunette prince.

"Well…" He finally spoke, looking away uneasily. "That was before…Now it's different."

She smiled brightly, giggling happily while hugging his arm. "You're right. It's different now. You've changed, for good. I'm so proud of you."

Sora smiled weakly back at her as she happily escorted him to walk around the castle.

_Meanwhile, at a village in Twilight, an inn's lobby…_

Abruptly, Riku got pushed on one of the inn's walls. He looked up slowly, smirking coldly back at his attacker.

"You!" Princess Yuffie of the Wutai kingdom barked angrily at the silver-head while restraining him against the wall with her arm. "Did you think I didn't notice you watching me for nearly a whole day now? What is your motive! SPIT IT OUT OR I WON'T HESITATE TO KILL YOU!" She pressed her arm against his chest harder.

Riku scoffed; quickly brushing away the arm she has used to pin him against the wall. "You're not as bad as I thought…"

"Who are you?" She narrowed her eyes at him.

"I'm just a guest at the inn…" He replied slyly with a slight shrug.

"Don't you fucking lie to me!" She glared at him darkly. "You're too fancy looking to be from around here!"

He sighed, pretending to be bored. "You're Princess Yuffie Kisaragi of the Wutai Princess. You're here to help the Twilight Kingdom find the Wutai assassins who assisted in the attempt to murder the king."

She blinked at him dumbfoundedly. "Who are you and how do you know this much?" She brought up a small knife near his neck threateningly.

He smirked confidently. "I'm Prince Sora's …friend. Riku."

She let go of him immediately and stepped back, wide-eyed in surprise. "The king's brother? The one who won the recent tournament that everyone's talking about? I see!" She grinned cheerfully all of a sudden, catching the silver-head off-guard with her sudden mood change. "Well you should have said that sooner! Like you said, I'm Princess Yuffie Kisaragi of Wutai! Nice to meetcha!cDid they send you here to escort me to the castle?" She snickered to herself playfully. "Awesome! That's very nice of them!"

"Where are your guards or whatever?" Riku questioned in a bored fashion, looking around her slightly. "I haven't noticed anyone with you so far."

"Oh I don't need them! I came alone!" She exclaimed with a carefree grin that, for an instance, had reminded Riku of a certain brunette prince. He frowned deeply to himself for recalling him.

Suddenly, a tall black-haired figure with a sullen expression stepped in behind Yuffie.

She looked back, noticed him and chuckled sheepishly, "Hehe… I mean I came with our ambassador, Vincent Valentine!"

Vincent nodded coldly down at Riku with a blank expression, silently acknowledging him.

"He doesn't like to talk much… but he's very smart! He was the one who noticed you watching me actually!" Yuffie told the silver-head proudly.

"Hmph…" Riku regarded the black-head coldly.

"Hey!" Yuffie exclaimed excitedly to Riku all of a sudden. "Wanna go out for a walk? I have a few things I need to ask you about your kingdom!"

"….Whatever," answered Riku indifferently with a slight shrug, and then his eyes turned warily to Vincent behind her, waiting for him to utter something.

"Come on, let's go!" Yuffie quickly led them out of the inn's lobby. Vincent silently followed her.

'_So he's coming too, huh…. Hmph,'_ Riku thought with an irritated frown before following them. _'He'll get in the way… Damn it.'_

During their walk around the village – with Vincent behind stalking them silently from a fair distance – Yuffie had kept asking random questions about the Twilight Kingdom. What food they ate, how do they dressed, what were their people like, were their guys all girly looking like Riku?

Riku glared at her quietly when she'd asked this question.

"What?" She grinned mischievously at him while they were walking. "It's true! You look so pretty… Prettier than me even!" She pouted to herself cutely. "I'm envious…"

Riku looked away silently all of a sudden, hiding a small arrogant smile.

"Umm…" Yuffie suddenly became shy, causing Riku to become curious. She looked down at her feet before asking somewhat nervously, "Prince Sora…" Immediately, she had Riku's full well-concealed attention. "…The one who won the recent tournament everyone's talking about… Wh-What is he like?"

"…" Riku's smile disappeared instantly and the coldness in his expression was back. "He's a lot like you."

Yuffie grinned to herself happily. "Me? Really?"

Riku nodded unconsciously while staring into space. "An idiot who opens his heart to all kinds of people so readily…" He locked her eyes with her grimly. "Even to those who only hurt him and plot against him."

Yuffie smiled softly ahead of them. "He sounds like a very nice person…"

Riku let out a heavy sigh suddenly while looking ahead of them too. "Too nice," he muttered quietly. _'And gullible, like you…' _"Why are you asking about him?" He asked in a seemingly indifferent tone.

"I told you… I've heard a couple of things about your Prince on my way here," she replied shyly, obviously very impressed by Sora. "They say he's your Kingdom's number one fighter, and that he won first place in your Duchess' latest tournament," she turned to Riku and grinned, a slight blush on her cheeks. "The more I hear about him, the more I come to like him! I can't wait to meet him in person… I'm already a huge fan!" She looked ahead of them again eagerly with a quiet, dreamy sigh.

"…" Riku watched her blankly.

She turned to Riku once again abruptly in excitement. "So what else do you know about him? How long have you two been friends?"

"…Since we were children," he told her emotionlessly while still looking ahead of them.

"Oh! You must be close!" She grinned enthusiastically. "Awesome! You have to introduce me to him! He's a year younger than me I hear, not by much…"

"…" He continued watching her blankly as she blabbered on. _'She is… so much like him,'_ he thought to himself with a mixture of awe and uneasiness. "We're not hanging out anymore," he surprised himself by unconsciously revealing that to her.

"Why?" She exclaimed loudly with a pout, startling Riku. "How come? You were friends since you were kids! He should be like a brother to you or something!"

"We got in a… an argument, I hurt him," he half-lied while acting casual, looking away.

Yuffie stared into Riku's cold aquamarine eyes intently before asking quietly, "You feel bad about it don't you?"

"…"

"I can see it in your eyes. I'm a trained professional assassin. I can tell what the other person is feeling through their eyes…" She stared at his half turned away face sympathetically before softly adding, "You're hurting. You look like you've been hurting for a long time too."

Riku turned his head to her slowly with a deeply agonized expression. "I don't understand…" He muttered while staring into space perplexedly. "Why I'm feeling hurt… I've never… felt anything before."

"Ah… So you're a cold-hearted killer? People who kill innocent people are usually the ones that can't feel a thing. Because they threw away everything that makes them human."

"I haven't killed anyone in my life…" He told her honestly before turning to face her warily. "You have?"

"Yes, but only bad people," she confessed. "Hmm… Why is it that you have a killer's heart then? You must have killed someone."

"I haven't killed anyone," he told her seriously.

"Yes, you have."

He stared at her quietly, confused.

She locked eyes with him grimly. "You killed yourself."

"My… self?" He stared at her incredulously. "What the hell?"

She nodded confidently before explaining, "You must have killed the one thing in yourself that ever made you feel alive. That's why you feel so dead now."

Riku's eyes widen slightly in shock.

"See! I nailed it, didn't I?" She grinned cockily.

"Hmph!" He looked away in a huff. "What do you know… Stupid woman."

She glares at him dangerously, pretending to roll up her nonexistent sleeve. "Shut up you sexist! Women aren't stupid. They're smarter than you dumb men!"

He smiled to himself a little while pretending to scoff.

Suddenly, Yuffie stopped walking and grinned at the silver-head. "I think that's about it for a walk! It's about time for me and Vincent to continue our journey to Twilight Castle! We oughta be there by tomorrow!"

Suddenly, Riku remembered his father's orders and stared at her hesitantly.

"What's wrong? Do you need something from me?" Yuffie blinked at him curiously. "It's in your eyes y'know."

Riku opened his mouth to say something, and then closed it again defeatedly. He turned around, giving her his back when he said softly, "…Have a safe trip."

"Won't you come with us?" She asked hopefully.

"I can't. I have some personal things to take care of."

"Whatever problem you and Prince Sora had… you should talk and make up!" She encouraged him with a friendly grin.

"There's nothing to make up for. I'm just too busy to go," Riku retorted coldly, his head hanging low.

She rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah… You're too ashamed to face him huh? I getcha…" She started nodding sympathetically at him. "You feel that you don't deserve to see your friend… you feel so low and you're punishing yourself over it…" She shook her head at him in a scolding manner. "That won't do. You're hurting both him _and_ you this way. No wonder you're so cold like this…"

Riku looked back at her though his shoulder while letting out a loud, frustrated sigh. "I'm not his friend alright? I hurt and betrayed him!"

"…And it hurts you to hurt him doesn't it?" She exclaimed while stepping forward instinctively and staring intensely into his eyes. "Because to you… He IS your friend!"

Riku's eyes widened again slightly in a mixture shock of and realization.

"I had a friend once…" Yuffie began telling him, a faraway look in her eyes. "She was also a good assassin. But, she became a knight… wanted to live a clean life. Now she's somewhere working in the Spira Kingdom. That day when she told me about her decision to leave, I was so mad that I didn't want to talk to her again. I acted selfishly… I hurt her, and since then, I regretted it. It made me feel so bad that I had to go all the way to the Spira Kingdom to make up with her. Then I was finally able to feel good about myself!"

"…" Riku was watching her silently as she spoke.

Suddenly, she turned to him with another bright grin that matched Sora's. "Apologize properly! Then you'll be able to feel good about yourself again too!"

Riku turned his face away uncomfortably while muttering, "It's not that easy. I was never really his friend. From the beginning."

She rolled her eyes at him tediously. "You're just complicating things! Sheesh, lighten up Pretty-boy!" She punched his chest playfully macho-style, causing him to blink at her bemusedly.

Then they parted ways. Yuffie turned back and walked toward the seemingly mute Vincent while waving goodbye at Riku– a totally carefree aura surrounding her.

'_They're too much alike…'_ thought Riku again before sighing heavily, and then turning to the opposite direction to return to their family's mansion, carefully thinking of what to say to his father when he got there.

_Next day, around midday _

Roxas and Naminé came into the guests' hall, summoned here by the Queen to have tea with her along with Princess Kairi, her faceless Ambassador, Lord Ansem and Lord Marluxia.

Lord Xehanort was also present, standing in front of the Queen, who was sitting back calmly on the sofa while occasionally taking a sip from her tea cup as she listened to him talk. Lord Xehanort was Lord Ansem's cousin and the Master Tutor of the castle, the most wisest and knowledgeable. The young pair overheard their conversation as they came closer to them.

"His Highness Prince Sora's training session has just ended for today. He is progressing splendidly, considering," Xehanort was saying.

"That is good news," the Queen said, nodding nonchalantly while Kairi straightened up and smiled proudly at the people around her.

"Though pardon me for suggesting this, Your Grace, but I see it more proper if you hire a new teacher for the young Master."

"Do you think it necessary, Lord Xehanort?"

"Absolutely. I have come to discover lately that Prince Sora is rather blessed with an impressive intelligent mind. Regrettably, he lacks the assiduity to follow through."

"What do you suggest to fix that then, Lord Xehanort?" Elena asked dully.

"It just so happens, Your Majesty, that I know just the tutor who can capture his attention," Xehanort smiled in a subtly evil manner. "He is working in the Traverse Kingdom currently, but if you'd let me, Your Excellence, I could summon him here right away. He will undoubtedly oblige to your orders."

"If you see it best, Lord Xehanort, then you have my permission to do so," the Queen told him indifferently, waving him off when she noticed Roxas and Naminé nearing them.

"Thank you, Your Majesty," he bowed. "I shall contact him immediately."

"Your efforts are most appreciated, cousin," Lord Ansem smiled, nodding at his relative as he bowed at them respectfully as well before leaving the hall.

Roxas and Naminé had just sat down on the sofa nearest to Queen Elena when Sora also came into the hall, walking toward them casually with a gloomy expression.

"Ah, there he is!" Ansem exclaimed when he saw him. "Come join us Brat. We are to discuss the preparations for His Majesty's wedding."

Warily, Sora did, and then slumped down next to Kairi on the sofa. She beamed at the brunette prince; glad to see him, for she didn't have the chance to the whole morning as he was busy attending his lessons with Xehanort.

Naminé sat properly and smiled around her as normally as she could. She was determined to detach herself from Sora completely, so she purposely avoided even looking at him the entire time.

While it was easy for Naminé to do that, as she had gotten used to the distance between them, it wasn't the same case for Sora. He caught himself sneaking a curious glance at his brother's fiancée and had to divert his gaze away immediately, mentally cursing himself and his body's involuntary actions.

"Princess Naminé," the Queen turned to Naminé all of a sudden, capturing everyone's attention. "Your parents are expected to be here this evening. They are to stay until your wedding day, is that right?"

Sora shifted uncomfortably a bit in his seat while Naminé nodded politely at Queen Elena. "Yes, I have received their letter. They are to be here by nightfall."

Elena turned her head calmly to address her son as well, "How are the preparations coming along? Have you chosen your best man and bridesmaid yet?"

"Kairi and her friends have volunteered to be my bridesmaids," Naminé answered softly, exchanging a small smile with the red-head.

The Queen looked at Roxas questioningly then.

"I guess…" Roxas began uneasily, his eyes travelling to look at his brother. "It should be Sora…"

Sora immediately perked up, his eyes widening a bit at the blonde king. "Why should I be your best man?" He blurted out snappishly, and then stopped, catching himself. "I mean…sure…" He sighed at his own failure to control himself as he sank back on the sofa, noticing the suspicious and odd looks everyone was giving him, including Naminé, who had finally turned to look at Sora, a confused look on her face.

"He is your brother, after all," Marluxia said to Roxas in a way that sounded regretful.

Roxas ignored Marluxia, studying his brother quietly. "What's wrong with you?"

"You're acting funny Sora…" Kairi remarked next to him, giggling nervously.

Quietly, Naminé was staring at Sora too, finding his behavior equally puzzling. She didn't notice Roxas, however, turning his attention to her and scowling, clearly bothered by his fiancée's keen interest in his brother.

Sora felt uncomfortable under their analytical stares on him, shifting nervously again in his place.

"My, Roxas," the Queen foxily diverted everyone's attention from the brunette prince. "You look quite radiant lately. Must be princess Naminé. I'm very happy for you, my dearest child…" She reached out and caressed her son's hand lovingly in front of Sora and the others, and then she turned her head to Naminé and added sternly yet slyly appearing playful, "Keep him happy."

Naminé smiled weakly in return while Ansem turned to Sora suddenly, "Ah! I forgot to mention that you are to accompany His Majesty your brother, Princess Naminé and Princess Kairi to town shortly!"

Sora looked up quickly in alarm, pouting deeper, feeling uncomfortable about the idea. "Why?"

"To the Tailor's for your wedding suits," Ansem explained strictly. "You are required to be there. _No_ weaseling out of it."

Sora sank back again with a heavy sigh.

"Come on! It will be fun, I promise!" Kairi giggled. "What kind of best man are you, lazy bum? They need our help! Besides, you promised you'd support them yesterday remember?"

"You should go now, so you could make it back before nightfall," Marluxia recommended. "Though I am not entirely comfortable toward the idea, considering the threat against His Majesty's life, still existing out there…"

"Do not fret, Lord Marluxia," the Queen replied confidently. "Our finest guardians will escort them there. They will be fine."

"Besides," Ansem added. "They have Brat. He is one of the most skilled fighters, as I am sure you are already aware. I believe he will be able to provide the necessary protection."

Naminé noticed a tinge of jealousy in Roxas's expression as he stood up abruptly after hearing that. "We should get going then," he said coldly to his brother sitting in the sofa across of them.

"_Now_?" Sora cried.

Roxas ignored him, turning to Naminé beside him after she followed him up as well and putting a possessive arm around her. "Naminé and I will be waiting at the entrance gate," he told Kairi instructively.

Sora averted his eyes from them, offended.

Kairi sensed the tension between the brothers and smiled weakly. "L-Let's go Sora," she urged, pulling him up with her. Numbly, he let her drag him all the way for the carriage waiting for them near the castle's entrance gate.

Before getting in it, Sora tried to talk his way out of having to get into the carriage. He preferred riding on his horse, Cookie, instead. But Captain Squall wouldn't let him, for security reasons everyone had to be inside the carriage and out of sight until they reached their destination.

In the end, the brunette prince surrendered to their wishes and followed Roxas, Naminé and Kairi into the carriage. His brother and his fiancée were sitting on one side while he had to sit on the opposite one next to Kairi.

For the most part, it was an awkward and tense ride. Everyone was looking out their own window in complete silence. Until Naminé broke it when she started commenting softly about the weather, "It seems like it will rain soon…"

"Yeah, heavily too, from the looks of it," Kairi replied, gazing up at the sky.

The sky thundered abruptly, causing Naminé to yelp and grab the closest thing to her – Roxas. At the same time, Sora jolted up and squeezed himself against the corner of the carriage, wide-eyed and ashen in fear.

Roxas and Kairi chuckled simultaneously at them. Naminé didn't mind them, however. She was blinking at Sora's reaction in surprise.

"Sora always gets scared when it's a storm," Kairi explained, giggling. "Back when we were little, every time there was a storm, Sora would cry!" She teased, glancing at Sora as he was quietly slipping back down. "…Right?"

He ignored her, pouting childishly as he turned to look out the window. From the corner of his eye, he noticed that Naminé was still clutching his brother's sleeve, and that she was so very irritatingly close to him. She was completely leaning on him, with her head almost resting against his shoulder.

Kairi let out a giggle suddenly. "Don't be embarrassed Sora! At least you're not like your brother… he's terrified of tiny little worms!" She teased the blonde king, demonstrating the shape of the worm with her hands in front of him.

Roxas shot her a death glare, blushing slightly from embarrassment. She laughed at his reaction.

Naminé looked up from Roxas's sleeve at Sora curiously, mustering her courage to speak to him at last. "Wh-Why are you afraid of thunder?"

Sora frowned to himself gloomily as he recalled the last day he had spent with his mother, and the miserable days that followed it. The weather had been stormy for weeks, and the rain never ceased during them. It was as if the sky was crying along with him, sharing his sadness. He remembered the guards taking him to the castle, promising him that his mother would be waiting for him there so both of them could meet his father, his feelings of helplessness and estrangement, the lies, the tears when he realized that he had been cheated…

_"They told me she'd be here. They lied. Adults always lie. I hate them."_

He snapped out of his dreary thoughts when Kairi's concerned voice brought him back to reality, "Sora?"

Sora turned his head to find her and Roxas staring at him suspiciously. Naminé was looking at him too, frowning.

"I-I don't like it when it rains… wish it always stays clear and bright…" he answered quietly, nervously turning back to stare out the window.

Suddenly, it thundered again. Naminé shrieked and hugged Roxas's arm harder while Sora shuddered a bit.

"Can we go another day?" Naminé whined cutely; making everyone smile, even Sora.

_'Cute,'_ Sora thought in his head, resisting the urge to lean over and pinch her cheek.

"Cute," Roxas said out loud at the same time, grinning at Naminé and making Sora pout at him for stealing his thought.

Naminé pouted cutely at her fiancé, and then smiled despite herself when she saw his grin.

"They are adorable!" Kairi said before turning to the brunette prince, giggling. "Right, Sora?"

Quietly, Sora watched the pair, thinking glumly to himself, _'Will it always be like this? Our lives from now on? Me looking at them from the other side…' _

"Yeah," Sora faked a grin. "They are."

_Later at the shop _

Roxas was having his sizes measured in front of the mirrors by the shop owner in another room separated from Naminé.

"I'm surprised Your Majesty hasn't come with the princess from last time," the shop owner remarked curiously as he was measuring Roxas's arm. "May I ask how Her Highness is doing?"

The blonde king frowned immediately at the reminder of his childhood friend. "She wasn't my fiancée, if that's what's confusing you," he told him coldly.

"Oh, I see," The shop owner nodded quickly before muttering quietly to himself, "How disappointing…"

Roxas looked away uncomfortably, frowning deeper. "Shut up and do your job," he snapped.

The shop owner nervously apologized, never speaking a word again.

_Meanwhile, with Kairi and Naminé…_

"Oh my gosh! You look _gorgeous_! This one's definitely the dress for you!" Kairi exclaimed as soon as Naminé stepped out of the changing booth. "I'm a little jealous!" She added while checking Naminé up and down, giggling.

"You look beautiful too, Kairi," Naminé responded, smiling politely.

The red-head looked down at the dress she'd picked for the bridesmaid that she was wearing with a timid smile. She chose a tight, strapless red dress that reached just above her knees and outlined her pretty figure nicely. "I just hope it's enough to get _Sora's_ generous attention…" She complained sarcastically with a cute pout. "It has to! I mean, this is the sexiest dress I could find!"

Naminé forced a giggle, and then looked away to the tall mirror while still trying to maintain her smile. _'Good luck with that,'_ she thought with a mental sigh while checking herself at the mirror. _'He saw the upper half of my body naked and still had no reaction whatsoever…'_

"I'm going to change and then bring Sora here to tell us what he thinks!" Kairi said, hurrying into the changing booth.

Naminé panicked, her eyes widening in alarm. "I-Is that necessary?"

"Of course! We could use a guy's opinion y'know. Roxas can't see it yet, obviously, so it has to be from Sora," replied the red-head from inside the booth. "Besides, I want to hear what he'll say about my choice of dress for you!"

_Meanwhile, just outside the fitting rooms…_

Sora had dozed off on the couch by the wall near the fitting rooms' area.

_He was standing in the dark, surrounded by total blackness. Panicking and confused, he looked around him frantically._

_Then, in front of him, a shining, bright figure appeared. He stopped, squinting at the figure. His eyes opened wide when he realized who it was._

_"Naminé?" He blinked at her in a mixture of surprise and confusion. "Where are we?"_

_She simply smiled. That beautiful, angelic smile of hers, without saying anything._

_Sora slowly started to smile back, feeling at ease. "Alright. I admit. I am lost... this time," he grinned handsomely in a playful manner. "Will you show me the way?" _

_Without saying anything again, she held out her hand for him, smiling still. _

_He immediately understood what she wanted him to do, staring at her hand and then at her face uneasily. "No… I can't… I shouldn't…" Then, turning around with an agonized look on his face, he added softly, "I'm sorry…"_

_As he was talking his first step away from Naminé, his body stopped abruptly. 'Wh-What's happening? Why can't I control my body?' Sora's eyes widened in confusion and fear as his body moved by itself, turning back again and walking toward his brother's fiancée in slow but confident steps. _

_She was still there, smiling at him. Her smile stretched as he approached her. Then he stopped, only a few centimeters away from her, and caressed Naminé's cheek with the back of his hand._

_'Stop! What am I doing?' Sora screamed in his head. His body wasn't responding to him though. It was as if it had a will of its own._

_Suddenly, around them, familiar figures started appearing. His brother Roxas, Kairi, Queen Elena, Ansem, Marluxia and a lot of people which he recognized a castle residents. All of them were watching him and Naminé with grim expressions._

_To his horror, he looked down and noticed that Naminé was pulling down her dress, slowly and tauntingly._

_"Naminé!" He yelled at her frantically, eyes wide open in shock. "What are you doing?" He tried to move his hands to pull up her dress, which was dangerously close to exposing her breasts. But it was no use. Instead, his treacherous hands moved to cup Naminé's face. She stopped and they stared at each other lingeringly... "No! S-Stop!" Sora was shouting out loud, alarmed. "Everyone is watching… Everyone…Everyone is—" He couldn't say any more, as his lips suddenly clashed with Naminé's ravenously._

Kairi's hand suddenly shook him awake. The brunette prince opened his eyes abruptly to find that he was lying on the couch, still in the tailor's shop.

"Lazy bum!" Kairi scolded him, pouting cutely while kneeling down close to his face. "Shouldn't you be helping Roxas?"

He sat up right, panting heavily as he ran a hand through his spiky hair. "It was a dream…" He muttered, somewhat relieved.

She shook her head at him. "You're hopeless! Come on! We need your opinion on something!"

A dazed Sora let her drag him to the fitting room Naminé was in, checking her reflection in front of the mirrors.

As soon as his brother's fiancée came into view, Kairi released Sora's hand and he froze, his eyes widening in awe as Naminé quickly turned to face them, a nervous look on her face.

"Well?" Kairi turned to him with her hands on her hips, smiling proudly. "What do you think?"

Naminé started to fidget with the folds of the pure white wedding dress which Kairi had picked for her, blushing embarrassedly as Sora continued to stare.

He couldn't pull his gaze away from her. It was shameful of him, he was aware of that. Yet there he was again, helpless. She'd completely bewitched him, and the worse part, was that he'd never seen it coming. He thought he was in control. He thought that his attraction toward her would forever remain a secret in his heart. She'd never know or see it; see how weak he really was when it came to her. But here was, mesmerized by the mere sight of her. Exposed.

"Doofus! Are you still sleeping?" He heard Kairi exclaim angrily next to him, but he'd barely registered what she'd said. Then he saw the red-head appear next to Naminé, fixing some details with the blonde's hair.

It was the first time he'd seen Naminé lift her hair up in a pig-tail, yet she still looked beautiful. It seemed whatever Naminé wore, whatever hairstyle she'd try… she'd still look beautiful in his eyes. Staring at her now reminded him of the first day he'd met her. When her carriage had run over him and he'd come after them seeking revenge.

Then, he saw her. Timidly appearing from behind her Ambassador Marluxia to apologize to him. He thought she looked cute. He couldn't be mad at her. But he knew. He'd always known. Even when he played dumb and shown otherwise. But he did know. She was the princess for his brother. That was how he'd always seen her. Naminé's and his brother's marriage was arranged since they were children. Sora was there when his father decided it, he'd heard it. He didn't – and never – had the chance.

"She looks good. You're really good at this Kairi," he said, causally putting his hands in his pockets and smiling at her.

The red-head beamed while Naminé forced a small smile, trying to appear happy for her. Her eyes widened alarmingly all of a sudden when she noticed someone enter the room.

Sora caught her look and curiously turned around to see who she was looking it.

"Roxas!" Kairi scolded, stomping toward him angrily. "You shouldn't be here!"

The young king had nearly the same reaction as Sora. The difference was that he didn't have to suppress it. "Wow…" he gasped, wide-eyed in awe.

Kairi stopped, giggling and grinning naughtily at the soon-to-be married couple. Then she caught Sora raising a weary eyebrow at her and winked in return. He didn't appear one bit amused, though.

Suddenly, when Naminé was about to move to enter the booth and change, she tripped over her dress and almost fell had not Roxas rushed immediately to grab her hand and steady her.

Sora's body twitched. He was about to do the same, but stopped himself. It wasn't his place, he reminded himself. Instead, he watched as Naminé and his brother gazed into each other's eyes lingeringly for a while, until the blonde princess blushed, looking down embarrassedly.

"Th-Thank you…" She muttered timidly with her head hanging low.

When they'd let go of each other, Kairi remarked slyly to Naminé, "Doesn't he look dashing?" She asked, referring to Roxas who had come here in his chosen wedding suit.

Naminé looked up and smiled at him pleasantly in a way that made Sora feel uncomfortable. "Yes... very."

It was Roxas's turn to blush. Nervously, he scratched the top of his head while looking down at the floor shyly.

Kairi was both and happy and jealous of them at the same time, glancing sideways at Sora and smiling, secretly wishing that someday, it'd be them in their place.

The brunette was watching them quietly… until he couldn't take it anymore.

"So are we done here or what?" He blurted out suddenly to get their attention. "I'll be waiting for you outside near the carriage!" He hurriedly added when everyone turned their heads to look at him.

Before he could make it out the door, the shop's tailor suddenly popped up in front of him randomly. "Your Highness! You cannot leave!"

"Why the hell not?" Sora found himself retorting grumpily, frowning. He couldn't help it. He was in a really bad mood.

"You have not picked a suit yet! Nor did you allow us to have your sizes measured!"

Sora sighed, rolling his eyes in annoyance.

"What?" Kairi hissed, making Sora sigh deeper as she marched toward him, glaring. "You haven't picked a suit yet? Geez! What a lazy bum!"

"Would you quit calling me lazy bum already? It's annoying."

Roxas and Naminé watched them curiously, both of them puzzled by Sora's irritableness. They'd never – even Roxas, his brother – seen Sora really pissed before.

"Try this one Your Highness," the tailor offered, pulling up a suit he brought with him. "I believe it will look great on you."

"Okay, I'll wear this one then."

"B-But! You have to try it on so we can measure your—"

"No need," he shrugged casually, glancing at his brother briefly. "My bro and I share the same sizes. You've already took his right? So we're good."

Everyone shook their heads at his carelessness. Except Naminé, who stared at him worriedly, wondering what was going on in the brunette's head. _'Is the matter with Riku and his family weighing on you… Sora?'_

"Sora! Where do you think you're going? Sora! Get back here and try it on!" Kairi demanded after him as he left the room, secretly wishing to see him in a proper suit for once. She let out a sigh, putting her hands on her hips. "What am I going to do with him?"

"His Highness, your brother seems upset…" The tailor remarked curiously to Roxas. "Have you any idea what's troubling him, Your Majesty?"

"Shut up," came Roxas's usual curt reply.

"Y-Yes Your Majesty…" The tailor gulped, bowing his head down meekly.

Naminé and Kairi exchanged a small, weak smile.

Outside, Sora waited near the carriage for the others like he'd told them until they finally got out of the store a few minutes later.

As soon as they came out and reunited with Sora, they heard someone exclaim, "Young master!"

They turned their heads sideways to find a plump old women hurrying toward them. Roxas smiled as soon as he saw her. From the look on her fiancé's face, Naminé realized that she must be an acquaintance.

"Mrs. Chiyo!" Kairi exclaimed excitedly, grinning. "How have you been?"

"Ah! Princess Kairi! Look at how much you've grown…" Then she looked at Roxas again, smiling. "And you, Master Roxas… I can no longer call you 'Young Master' I suppose," she chuckled. "Look at you! What a handsome young man you've become!" And then, winking, she added, "You must be quite popular with the ladies…"

"Glad to see you're doing fine, Chiyo," Roxas said with a mischievous smirk, purposely calling her by her first name, without any formalities, which was disrespectful. But it was a normal thing between them; Naminé noted by the way the two were smiling at each other.

Turning to his fiancée, Roxas began, "I want you to meet—"

"The beautiful princess Naminé isn't it?" Chiyo smiled kindly at her.

Naminé bowed respectively and then looked up and smiled. "It's very nice to meet you. I've heard about you from Roxas," she said, glancing at her fiancé. "You were the princes' governess right?"

"Right," Chiyo chuckled, and then glared playfully at Roxas. "I hope that Master has spoken well of me."

"Oh, yes! Definitely!" Naminé chuckled lightly. "He thought of you as his own mother."

At that, Chiyo smiled warmly at the blonde king. "Master did? With that rude tongue of his? How very surprising," she said jokingly.

Everyone laughed, except Sora, who was too much in a sober mood, staring absently into space in the background.

"I cannot wait to come to your wedding, Master Roxas," Chiyo sighed joyously. "It will be the proudest day of my life… to see the boy I have raised in his happiest day…"

Roxas and Naminé exchanged a look, smiling shyly.

"When they have kids, you should be their governess!" Kairi exclaimed suddenly, making Roxas's and Naminé's faces explode into a blush.

Chiyo laughed, exchanging a naughty smile with Kairi. "That is a splendid idea my dear!" Abruptly, she stopped, catching sight of a certain someone in the background. "Oh dear… Is that rowdy Young Master Sora?" She tilted her head to have a better look, and then froze again. "Oh my…" She walked toward him slowly, wide-eyed in awe. Everyone watched her curiously as she made her way closer to Sora, who was blinking at her confusedly.

"You are beautiful," she told him softly, caressing the side of his face with the back of her hand in motherly manner.

_'I am 'beautiful' and Roxas is handsome? Why?'_ Sora demanded mentally, seriously not happy with it.

"Princess Naminé, dear…" Chiyo said all of a sudden while still touching Sora's face, alerting both him and the blonde princess. "Your fiancé might have been a handful, but he was nothing compared to this one," she chuckled, and Naminé had to smile warmly too. Kairi let out a playful sigh while Roxas looked anything but amused.

"I had to tie him to me with a rope once. To keep him from escaping," Chiyo sighed at the memory. "But he chewed it off and ran away, like always…He was a wild prince that couldn't be tamed…. until now," she smiled at him proudly. "I heard about your achievement in the tournament. I'm most proud of you. You've grown and matured in so many ways… I wonder what is the reason behind your taming…?"

"He realized there are better things to do in life than loafing around," Kairi remarked playfully, giggling softly.

Naminé wanted to insert a remark of her own, a response to Kairi that'd make her stop belittling Sora and thinking so lowly of him. But she couldn't. She shouldn't. Not with Roxas there, glaring jealously at his brother.

Suddenly, Chiyo was taken aback as she stared deep into Sora's unique blue eyes. "Your eyes… an ocean of sadness…" She whispered sadly in a gentle tone. "Why is the sky sad?"

Sora immediately met her eyes, startled. He stared at her speechlessly for a while, until he noticed the rain heavily pouring down on them. He was too preoccupied with his thoughts to even notice it rain initially.

He'd remembered something about his mother, and the place they used to live in…

_"Why is the sky sad?" His mother had asked him softly once while sitting next to him on the porch of their pathetic, broken-down farmhouse as they were watching the rain. _

_Little Sora was frowning miserably, hugging his knees closer to his chest. _

_"Sweetie-pie, it's your fifth birthday…" His mother put an arm around him and pulled him closer, squeezing him fondly._

_"It's because of you, mommy!" He exclaimed, pouting cutely up at his mom, who couldn't help but smile warmly at her son's cuteness. "You look sad these days… Why?" He demanded._

_She sighed, smiling at him. That kind, beautiful, reassuring smile that'd still haunted Sora to this day. "What are you talking about? I am perfectly happy, see!" She pointed at her expression, and then added quietly to herself, chuckling, "Smart little kid…"_

_Sora turned his face away childishly, folding his arms in front of his chest, obviously not buying it. He knew his mother too well._

_She sighed again and then looked up at the sky. "Sora…" She began softly, a serene and distant look on her face that caught her son's attention. "Whenever it is raining, I will think that Sora is crying. I pray that the sky is always sunny and bright, so wherever I am, I will know Sora is happy also…"_

_As looked back down at her son, she found him grinning at her. She smiled._

_"That's better… Thank you Sora."_

"What are you talking about? I'm perfectly happy, see!" He grinned at Chiyo.

Suddenly, it started to rain even heavier.

"Oh my!" Chiyo exclaimed. "We'd better be going, or we'll get ill under this rain!"

"Chiyo! Come with us!" Roxas ordered, trying to shield Naminé and himself with his jacket.

Hurriedly, everyone got into the carriage. Except Sora, who stood where he was, carefully calculating something in his head.

"What are you doing you idiot? Get in!" Kairi yelled at him, exasperated.

"I'll be back in a minute!" He retorted hastily while suddenly turning and running off by the sidewalk deeper into the town.

"Hey! Sora! Arrrgh!" She slumped down on the carriage seat and folded her arms in front of her angrily.

"Wh-Where is Prince Sora?" Naminé asked the red-head hesitantly. Roxas looked at her sideways suspiciously, noticing her nervousness whenever she'd spoken of his brother.

"He'd gone off to God knows where!" Kairi spat out bitterly.

"I pray he is alright… the rain appears unmerciful…" Chiyo muttered with a sigh while gazing out the carriage's window.

Meanwhile, Sora had barged into the town hall, panting heavily as he made it to the reception counter.

"Yes sir?" The middle-aged man behind the counter raised a curious eyebrow. "Can I help you?"

"Th-The house…! The broken-down farmhouse with a porch! Is it occupied?"

The man stared at him blankly for a while. "Sir. Which house are you talking about, exactly?" He asked patiently, sighing.

"The house! The one with the porch! Small, pathetic excuse of a house…? Called a farmhouse, but it isn't really one? There's not enough land to grow anything…"

"Oh. That house… it's been abandoned for almost ten years now…" He murmured. "Nobody wants it. It is, as you say, a pathetic place…"

"Yeah! It has to be this one!" Sora exclaimed excitedly. "I want it!"

The man blinked slowly, surprised. "Alright… As you wish, sir… But you have to fill in some paperwork first."

_Meanwhile, with Roxas and the others in the carriage after fifteen minutes of waiting…_

"We should leave already Your Majesty," Squall said from his place near the driver's seat. "It is not safe to stay out of the castle for much longer."

"But what about Master Sora? Surely we can't leave him under this rain?" Chiyo asked, voicing out Naminé's concern.

"That idiot's probably off again in one of his adventures," Kairi said bitterly, sulking in her seat. "We might as well leave. He'll find a way to come back home, he always does. Besides, we have to be back for Naminé's parents arrival."

"Kairi's right," Roxas said. "Let's leave Squall!"

As the carriage drove, Naminé turned her head to look the window quickly, searching for any sign of Sora behind them. But the road was completely deserted. Everyone had gone inside to shelter themselves from the heavy rain. _'Sora…'_

A few minutes later, Sora came back, running, wheezing and completely soaked. He arrived to the spot where the carriage was supposed to be waiting for him, and was surprised to find it no longer there.

"Where did they go?" He looked around him confusedly. In the far distance, he saw the carriage riding off without him.

_"Family? They are not…" Sephiroth's words during the day of his brother's coronation came back to him. "Just as soon as your brother Roxas marries princess Naminé and has a life of his own – the life that you conveniently handed over to him – he will forget all about you!_

_The truth is that you've got no one in this world. And your so-called friends…Who knows? They might back-stab you one day…"_

His head hung low miserably. _'They must have had an emergency. That has to be it…'_ He tried convincing himself, and then trudged behind them all the way back to the castle under the cold and unmerciful rain…


	18. To Belong

**Chapter 18:**

Every important person had to be there to greet Naminé's parents, the King and Queen of the Hikari Kingdom. Even Sora was dragged along to the guest hall. He desperately wanted to stay in his bed, but Ansem ordered the guards, Hayner and Pence respectively, to change him – by force if they had to – and drag him here. On normal occasions, that would have been an impossible mission for them, but not this time. Sora was feeling too weak and cold to resist. He'd told Ansem he wasn't feeling well, but the older man wouldn't believe him.

"I just had to walk all the way back to the castle under the rain by myself; I don't feel very well..." Sora had told him sickly, burying his face into his pillow and groaning while Ansem loomed over him impatiently.

"Oh, enough with your foolish masquerades brat! That is the oldest trick in your book! Do you expect me to believe another of your idiotic excuses? Fine. I shall humor you. Why did you not ask for help then, foolishly _walking_ under this heavy rain 'all the way from town'?"

Sora's head shot up from the pillow, pouting. "I didn't ask for help for _your_ sake! So I won't alert the people to my status... something _you_ annoyingly kept warning me about!"

"Enough brat! Since when did you grow a temper? Regardless, you cannot avoid royal gatherings with that foolish act any more. Princess Kairi is present downstairs, eagerly awaiting your arrival. Her Majesty the Queen insists that you keep her company."

And so he was dragged here eventually, too weak and tired to run way.

The brunette prince stood away from the crowd, watching everyone interact silently. He felt so out of place. This was why he hated royal gatherings; they reminded him he was different. He didn't belong here, with these people. And yet he didn't belong with the world of the peasants completely either. He felt stuck. In-between. Lost.

He didn't understand why people around him liked to flaunt and talk about their wealth, possessions, lineage and other things Sora perceived as unimportant. To him, these things meant nothing. They didn't define who you were. With these people, he felt that he had nothing to talk about. Out of personal experience, he knew that if he'd try talking to them, they'd either give him a look of contempt or just simply ignore him. Sometimes even mistake him for a servant. Well... It was kind of different now. After his performance in the Duchess's tournament, people finally looked at him. They finally acknowledged the fact that Roxas indeed had a brother. It saddened him somewhat, though, that people only just looked at him now for a reason he saw shallow._ 'Even Kairi...'_

He never wanted to be part of them, to belong with them. So it never really bothered him before. But why it did now… why did it pain him to feel like an outcast now, when he had always been and it had never bothered him before?

The reason entered the room and it became clear to him.

She came in with Roxas, smiling at the people around them and each other, talking, bright…

Sora wondered if that was how Naminé felt as well. She saw that he was in a world that wasn't hers - he was too quirky and unconventional - and finally decided to let go and be with someone that belonged in her world too.

'_Good for her…'_ He thought with a bittersweet smile.

Suddenly, he felt something moist trail down his cheek. He looked around him, relieved that no one was even aware of his presence yet, and then turned away, wiping off his silent tear.

"Prince Sora?" He heard Marluxia question not too far away behind him, making his head shot up in alert. "Yes, your brother is here Your Majesty, surprisingly. He is standing over there…"

"See, I told you he'd find his way back somehow," he heard Roxas say to Naminé, and then footsteps coming in his direction.

The brunette prince tried to prepare a smile to greet them with before turning around, but it was hard to. It had always been easy, putting on a face. But now it felt excruciating to suppress his inner emotions.

"There he is Your Majesty!" He heard Ansem exclaim behind him.

Slowly, Sora turned to find Ansem and the Queen instead. Far behind them, he could see that Roxas and Naminé were still where they had been, talking to Naminé's parents.

"What is this; I have just been informed that you've purchased a house while you were in town!" Queen Elena was scowling at him.

"Why are you so worked up about it? It's just an old broken down peasant house," Sora replied before sneezing abruptly, earning a disgusted look from the Queen and Ansem for not covering his mouth.

Queen Elena continued quietly with a disgusted expression, "It was Mina's house before she had to leave the kingdom. You know this. You remembered, didn't you?" She narrowed her eyes at him carefully. "What else do you remember?"

Marluxia suddenly appeared from behind Ansem. "Mina...? Is she the treacherous maid you told me about that took advantage of the late king?"

Sora moved a bit uncomfortably at his comment, looking away while biting his lower lip, his fist clenched and trembling slightly by his side.

"I trust you to keep it confidential. We have only told you the truth because we are allies and princess Naminé and His Majesty are getting married soon," Ansem told the pink head carefully.

"I am going to have it demolished," the Queen said quietly.

Sora's eyes widened at her in horror. "Y-You can't do that," he gasped.

She turned to him completely, emotionless, and raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me?"

"I…" Sora frowned down at the floor silently, squeezing his fist tighter by his side.

Elena looked away again, shaking her head, and let out a sigh. "Do you know what your problem is? You still live in the past. And your past is what's holding you back. Think about it. You can still serve this kingdom and make Rufus proud. All you have to do is show your potential." She turned and made eye contact with him. "You and I clearly do not like each other. But at least we have a common goal: we both want to protect this kingdom. So, why don't we help each other out?"

Marluxia and Ansem nodded in agreement. "Listen to Her Majesty brat. She speaks the truth," Ansem urged the brunette.

"I already told you I'd work with you," Sora replied quietly while glaring at her. "You don't have to destroy the house..."

The Queen smiled sneakily. "You want to save it that bad? Alright… I will offer a generous deal…" Smiling still, she glanced at a certain red-head talking with her parents not far ahead of them. "Marry Princess Kairi!"

Sora's eyes widened alarmingly, caught off-guard. "What?"

"Agree to marry her… and I will leave the house alone," she told him emotionlessly. And when he frowned, she raised an eyebrow. "What's the matter? You're childhood sweethearts, are you not? The girl clearly likes you, she's desperate," she noted the way Kairi kept sending glances their direction often. "Her parents have also grown to like you too, now that you've shown to be somewhat capable. I'll have you know, they've been pushing me for this. They must have seen the potential in you too."

"His late Majesty King Rufus had planned for you two to get married in the future as well," Ansem added, nodding, and then made a disgusted face. "Wipe your nose brat!"

Sora sniffed while pouting at the older man. "I told you I'm sick!" He retorted, and then sneezed abruptly.

"We'll discuss the matter thoroughly later," the Queen told him nonchalantly. "And do wipe that nose. We don't want such an unsightly scene in front of our important guests."

Sora rolled his eyes while taking Ansem's handkerchief.

"I've been wondering…" Marluxia asked inquisitively all of a sudden. "Why did his late Majesty carefully instruct that Prince Sora is to be left doing as he pleases?"

Sora stared at the floor melancholically at the mention of his dead father.

"It was Mina's parting request," Elena answered bitterly, scowling. Sora looked at her with surprise, it was the first time he heard this. The Queen continued, "Rufus simply honored it. He'd do anything for her. She bewitched him. He was like the ring on her finger. She was the air he breathed…. without her, his health started crumbling down and he eventually… passed away…" She finished with a sigh.

"She must have been a very good looking woman, to be able to seduce him like this," murmured Marluxia, smirking, unaware of the angry glare directed at him by the brunette prince.

Ansem nodded, "She was indeed." The Queen shot him a glare. He coughed into his fast embarrassedly.

"Nothing special," Elena scoffed and turned away to face approaching guests. Ansem and Marluxia shared a small, knowing smile behind her.

Sora was smiling to himself, imagining how his mother looked like, when Ansem suddenly nudged him to pay attention. The approaching guests were none other than Naminé's parents, the King and Queen of the Hikari Kingdom.

"Is this your other son?" Naminé's mother asked Elena while curiously studying Sora. "He doesn't look like you…" Elena tensed a bit while glaring at Marluxia from the corner of her eye accusingly, thinking he'd already told on their family secret. But then her doubts fade away when Naminé's mother continued innocently, "Perhaps he took after his father? But I don't believe Rufus had those gorgeous eyes…"

Sora smiled awkwardly, still not used to being praised, especially by his superiors.

Elena stiffly replied, "Yes. Sora looks like his father. And his eyes are like Roxas's, Mei. Exactly the same."

Queen Mei, Naminé's mother, shook her head while still examining Sora's eyes in awe. "I beg to differ, his is a little different. A beautiful shade of deep sea blue."

"I see no difference."

If his mood wasn't so sour, Sora would have laughed then. Suddenly, he felt the King of the Hikari Kingdom's eyes on him and turned his head to face him, and immediately regretted doing that.

"I remember you," Naminé's father said with an intimidating scowl. "You refused to dance with my daughter when I asked you to during your brother's coronation ceremony."

_Asked? More like ordered…_ Sora forced a chuckle while looking sideways at Ansem, silently asking for help.

"So you're His Majesty's younger brother, eh?" He studied Sora carefully. "What do you do?"

"Huh?"

King raised an impatient eyebrow. "Do you have any talents? Skills? …Hobbies?"

"Right now, I like fishing."

"Fishing?"

"Yep."

"What about sword fighting? I hear you're quite good at that."

"I hate it. It's boring."

"And fishing is not boring?"

"Nope, I think it's exciting. Wondering what you're gonna catch next."

"Interesting. I happen to enjoy fishing as well."

Sora smiled weakly, having a bad feeling where this is going. "You do?"

"It is my favorite hobby. We should definitely go fishing together while I'm here!"

"What? Uhh, are you sure? Maybe you'd rather spend some quality time with your son-in-law instead…" Sora suggested desperately.

"Splendid idea! Your brother and Naminé will come along too!"

"What? Wait a min—"

Naminé's father gave him an intimidating stern look. "I do not like to be rejected."

Sora sighed defeatedly and turned to pout at Ansem for not helping. Ansem merely smiled innocently in return. "It will do you well Brat," he whispered. "To mingle with society."

"Son, are you sick? You do not look very well," Naminé's father studied Sora's face.

"Just a little tired," Sora smiled awkwardly.

"Take a good long rest son," he winked suddenly, surprising both Ansem and Sora. "We have a long eventful day tomorrow."

"Tomorrow!" Sora exclaimed, caught off-guard. "Wow… you don't waste any time do you?" He chuckled uneasily. _Naminé's father is so controlling…_

The king barked a laugh. "Take care, son!" And then left with his wife and the Queen to meet another guests.

Sora turned to Ansem. "Why does he keep calling me son? I'm not his son."

"Honestly, I am just as surprised as you are," Ansem replied. "His Majesty King Kaito does not warm up to just any one. He is a difficult and intimidating man…a lot like your father, rest his soul. That was why they got along so well."

Sora was nodding. "So his name is Kaito huh?"

Ansem shook his head. "Do not tell me this is the first time you heard His Majesty's name? You do realize your brother is marrying their daughter?"

Sora gave him an innocent smile.

"Heavens help me."

Suddenly, Roxas approached them. Naminé wasn't with him; she was talking with Kairi in the background.

"How are you doing? Are you feeling okay?" Asked Sora when he noticed his brother. "Maybe you should still be resting in your bed…"

"You're just like Naminé," Roxas smiled a little amusedly. "She won't stop nagging me about that."

"Oh really? Princess says that often?" Sora said while pretending to sound casual.

"Oh yeah," Roxas's eyes twinkled mischievously. "She won't stop worrying about me! I keep telling her I'm fine, but she's just so worried all the time…"

Sora forced a laugh. "Bro's Wife must really care about you, haha…"

"Yeah… By the way… why do you keep calling her 'Bro's Wife'? She's not my wife yet y'know."

Sora looked away moodily. "You're going to marry sooner or later, so whatever…" He explained while hardly being able to hide the bitterness in his tone.

Roxas raised an eyebrow at him curiously; he opened his mouth to say something, when he noticed another figure approaching them and groaned, rolling his eyes. "Go already…" He told the person wearily.

Sora turned to meet the person curiously. A young dirty blonde haired hazel-eyed man around their age. Not especially handsome like Roxas, but good looking nonetheless.

"I'm taking her back, you'll see!" The man exclaimed to Roxas hostilely.

"Who's he?" Sora asked his brother curiously.

"A childhood friend of Naminé. A very annoying one," Roxas sighed. "He came today. Wouldn't shut up. Says he's going to take Naminé back with him to their kingdom."

"I knew Naminé all my life! I was practically raised with her! And I can tell she's not happy here!" The young man exclaimed vigorously.

"And I can tell she doesn't feel the same way about you. She barely mentioned you to me. And she's been here for nearly a year," Roxas retorted, smirking at the crushed look on the young man's face.

Sora almost felt sorry for him. He kept watching the two continue arguing silently.

"Look, I came here to take her back! I'm not going without her!"

"You're not serious are you? Of course you aren't. Either that or you're an idiot," The blonde king replied coldly. "Naminé doesn't want to go. If she wanted to, she would have already."

The man scoffed. "Like she could! This marriage was set on stone since the moment she can remember! She is forced into this and she can't back out because she doesn't want to disappoint her parents and her people! All her life she never had a chance for freedom! But I'm going to change that!" He finished dramatically with a determined, resolute expression, glaring back at Roxas.

"What's going on here?" Marluxia whispered after he hurried over. "Ah!" He exclaimed when he noticed the person Roxas is arguing with. "I see you've met Lord Xander already! He's a very close family friend to—" He noticed the tense air between the blonde king and Xander and smiled weakly. "Please understand Your Majesty that Xander and Her Highness Princess Naminé were very close, almost like siblings. They were brought up together in the same castle, after all. And, ahem, Xander grew fond of our princess. He is merely protective of her, you see. As a sibling would."

"Save it pinky," Sora said, smiling mischievously. "His feelings are obviously not brotherly."

"I only wish for Naminé's happiness!" Xander exclaimed sincerely.

"It's not any of your business," Roxas sighed, feeling annoyed.

"It is," Xander countered. "Naminé is precious to me. She is an important, precious friend. Surely, you have a friend like that? You understand how I feel?"

Roxas is caught off-guard. He stares into space. Something about what Xander just said hit home. Softly this time, he replied, "…I'll do everything in my power to make her happy. You shouldn't concern yourself. Go back to your kingdom."

"What if her happiness is with someone else?" Xander persisted, glaring hard at Roxas studiously.

Sora turned his head to study his brother's reaction curiously at that. Once again, Roxas was caught off-guard. He stared into space speechlessly.

"Will you be willing to let her go, if it meant she will be happy? Will you give her that freedom? You treat her like she's your belonging, such a spoiled kid… People are not your things," Xander frowned at him disapprovingly.

"I…" Roxas turned his head to look at his brother, who looked away sheepishly.

"Now, now… we all wish for Princess Naminé's best interest at heart! No need to quarrel!" Marluxia awkwardly tried to ease the situation.

"You," Xander ignored poor Marluxia and turned to Sora suddenly. "As the indifferent party, what do you think of this? You've heard everything haven't you? Don't you believe that Naminé doesn't deserve to be forced into an arranged marriage without love?"

Sora's eyes widened, blinking. "Uhh…" _Indifferent party? I really feel sorry for this guy… _"No one deserves that..." Xander grinned victoriously at the scowling blonde king, so Sora added, "But I think Princess really cares about Roxas… so it's not completely without love…"

"Hmph," it was Xander's turn to scowl. "Naminé's gentle with everyone. I wouldn't doubt that he misunderstood her kindness for affection."

Roxas glared at him in anger and stepped closer threateningly. "You're really starting to piss me off… If it weren't for Naminé, you would have been kicked out already."

Xander took another step closer and that made Marluxia interfere, stepping in between them. "Please calm down gentlemen, this is not the time and place for this!"

"You're right Mar," Xander sneered at Roxas. "I hear you're good at sword fighting _Your Majesty_. So I'm challenging you! Tomorrow, in your arena, you and me fight it out like true men! Let's see which one of us _really_ cares about Naminé!"

Sora glanced at the two amusedly as they glared at each other for a while. He was startled when Xander turned to him suddenly and pointed at him. "You be there!"

"Huh? Why me?" Sora questioned, but Xander already stormed off. "Everyone's making dates with me today… sheesh…" The brunette sighed.

"I don't think he knows you're my brother," Roxas remarked. "He didn't even bother to ask for your name. What a jerk. By the way, why did you look amused?"

Sora turned to him innocently. "Huh?"

"You had an amused look in your eyes…" Roxas raised an inquisitive eyebrow.

"Uhh, I just thought he was being ridiculous," the brunette lied.

"He is ridiculous," Roxas snorted. "Ever since Naminé introduced me to him earlier, all he talks about is how he's going to take her back. He's obsessed. No wonder Naminé doesn't talk about him much. I think part of her was relieved to leave that nuisance behind."

Sora chuckled.

Meanwhile, with Hayner and Pence who're currently helping to manage the library…

"Hayner, Pence!" Tidus called the two excitedly as he was running into the library along while holding a letter in his hand. "You've got a letter from Olette!"

Hayner and Pence immediately dropped down the books in their hands and ran toward him.

"Whoa, watch it!" Tidus exclaimed as Hayner jumped at him, snatched the letter and turned around to tear the envelop open.

"You two must care about her a lot," Tidus smiled in the background.

They ignored him. Pence looked behind Hayner's shoulder at the letter as the blonde anxiously opened it…

_Dear Hayner, Pence and Roxas,_

_How are you? Are you doing alright? Hayner, are staying out of trouble? You are, right? Pence, are you still following the diet I planned for you? Don't lose focus! Roxas, are you feeling better? How is your health? Do you listen to others when they tell you to rest, or are you still pushing yourself around? Don't do that! As your friend, I get worried sick just thinking about it from all the way over here you know!_

_As for me, I've just arrived to Spira. It's a very nice place, a bit bizarre, but overall an interesting place to live in. Still, it doesn't compare to Twilight… Anyway, I don't have a lot of time, I still have to unpack and 'transform into an appropriate princess figure', as my grandfather likes to put it. I just met him a while ago by the way. His name is Yuri. He's kind of strange… But he appears kind and I believe that's what's important._

_I know, for once, I'm not writing a lot. But that's only because I don't have the time to, unfortunately. And I wanted to write to you as soon as possible, because I know that you will be worried about how I'm doing. But don't worry; I'm doing great so far! Just enjoy yourselves and know that I'll come the moment I can! Hopefully in Roxas's and Princess Naminé's wedding!_

_Don't miss me!_

_Love,_

_Olette_

"O-Olette!" Sobbed both Hayner and Pence as Hayner brought the letter closer to his chest. "I'm staying out of trouble! You don't have to worry!" The blonde exclaimed dramatically.

"And I'm still following the diet plan…. Kinda!" Pence added, sniffing.

"Are you two in love with her or something?" Tidus shook his head, grinning.

"She's our childhood friend! We've known each other since we were born!" Hayner retored.

"She's like a little sister to us!" Pence added proudly.

"Good… Because if you were, you wouldn't like what you're about to hear now…" Tidus sighed before starting to tell them the news….

"WHAT? THEY'RE MARRYING OFF OUR OLETTE?" Hayner exclaimed outrageously after Tidus finished telling them the news. Pence stared wide-eyed at Tidus with equal shock.

"Yeah… Her grandfather is afraid that he'll be gone before he can secure his family's legacy. So he's calling princes and eligible noblemen from across the land to Spira, hoping to find the perfect partner for his granddaughter."

"Why didn't Olette mention THAT in her letter?" Hayner shouted frustratedly while waving the paper in front of them.

"Because she wrote that thing days ago! This 'arrangement' has only just been announced stupid!" Tidus explained. "News just started spreading around!"

"Oh no…" Pence muttered while exchanging a worried glance with Hayner. "Do you think Roxas knows already?"

Later, Naminé and Roxas were on their way to the dining hall for the dinner meal with the guests when they noticed Hayner and Pence running toward them down the hallway. They stopped and blinked curiously at the pair as they stopped before them, panting.

"Roxas! Have you heard the news?" Hayner asked breathlessly.

"What news?" Roxas asked warily.

"Is everything alright?" Naminé asked softly at the same time while eying the two with concern.

Hayner and Pence hurriedly started telling them about the news they heard from Tidus. When they finished, Roxas was blinking wide-eyed at them in great shock. Even Naminé was surprised.

"They're marrying off our Olette already! Roxas, you must do something about it!" Hayner urged his friend.

"…." Roxas stared at the floor silently, looking deeply thoughtful. Naminé turned her head to stare at him sympathetically.

"Roxas, you should go over there and stop them!" Pence suggested suddenly, catching the blonde's attention.

The blonde king looked up and shook his head at them. "Are you crazy?" He told them coldly, all emotion leaving his face. "I can't just go there and leave my kingdom at a time like this… And it's _her_ life. It's none of my business. Why should I—"

"Are you telling me that you don't care that they're marrying off our Olette to any random prince that shows up at their doorstep?" Yelled Hayner at his face in disbelief.

"…" Roxas silently hung his head low and stared down at the floor again.

"…Even Zexion?" Hayner added faintly, alarming Roxas.

Roxas looked up abruptly again, wary. "_Zexion_? What's he got to do with it?"

"Yeah, him! That creepy bastard! I heard he's on his way to Spira, probably plotting to impress Olette's grandfather so he can get his dirty hands on her!"

Just by remembering what Zexion had tried to do to Olette that one time at the library was making Roxas boil inside. How can he still have the audacity to show his face in front of her again? Even though I threatened him and his family…

Next to him, Naminé noticed Roxas' inner rage and frowned. "Roxas…" She muttered softly at him while reaching out to put a caring hand on his arm.

"I can't do anything…" Roxas finally replied while gazing down miserably. "Olette wanted it this way…"

"Idiot… YOU SHOULD KNOW BY NOW WHAT OLETTE REALLY WANTS!" Hayner exploded at his face. "YOU ALWAYS HESITATE AND MAKE EXCUSES FOR YOUR OWN COWARDICE INSTEAD OF STEPPING UP AND ACTING LIKE A TRUE KING SHOULD!" With that, he whirled around and ran away angrily, hesitantly being followed by Pence.

As they continued their way silently to the dining hall, Naminé glanced sideways at Roxas worriedly. He looked miserable and deeply absorbed in his thoughts.

"Roxas…?" She asked softly.

Roxas stopped all of a sudden in the middle of the hallway, causing her to stop too. He turned his head half-way to her questioningly.

Naminé smiled at him sweetly and said, "Go. It's what your heart is telling you to do, isn't it? Just believe in your heart and go…" Her angelic smile stretched. "Olette is probably waiting."

Roxas turned to her completely in disbelief. "How did you…"

"Your Majesty!"

They turned around swiftly at the sound of Lord Sephiorth. Naminé was alarmed, whereas Roxas was annoyed as he boldly asked, "What are _you_ doing here?"

"Why, I'm here to join your guests for dinner of course," Sephiroth replied, smirking.

Naminé edged closer to Roxas protectively while glaring at Sephiroth, remembering what Sora had told her about Sephiroth and his family.

"Don't worry Princess," Sephiroth said smugly when he noticed this. "I come in peace."

_At the dinner table…_

Queen Elena is glaring at Sephiroth distastefully from across the table.

"Your Majesties," Sephiroth bows his head a bit politely at Naminé's parents as greeting. "It is an honor."

Naminé's father "Hmph"'d and looked away. The smirk on Sephiroth's lips didn't disappear, however, it stretched as he turned to Roxas. "Are you feeling better Your Majesty?"

"Hn," Roxas replied coldly without looking at him.

"That is good. You see, I'm having a ball at my mansion tomorrow night. I figured I'd come and invite you all personally," Sephiroth announced.

"I'm afraid Roxas won't be able to come," Queen Elena retorted stiffly. "The risk is too much. The threat on his life is still out there, you see." Sephiroth opened his mouth to say something but the Queen cut him off when she added, "But Sora will go in his place. Will that satisfy you?"

Ansem smiled weakly to himself. "Seems like Brat has a packed schedule tomorrow."

Sephiroth smirked slyly. "Do you not worry that the threat might extend to that of prince Sora's life too?"

"Who would want him dead? And for what purpose?" Elena said carelessly.

"You speak as if he is not your son as well… Your Majesty," Sephiroth looked at her as she shifted uncomfortably with a smug expression.

"What nonsense you speak of," she only said and then quickly changed the subject. "Where are your sons? I notice they're absent…"

"Riku is on his way and…" Sephiroth glanced at Roxas as he continued slyly, "Zexion should be in Spira by now."

Roxas put down his glass and glared at him suspiciously.

"He wishes to court Princess Olette," Sephiroth continued tauntingly, and then 'innocently' looked over at Roxas. "Do you wish to hear news of her, Your Majesty?"

Xander chimed in out of curiosity, "Princess Olette? Isn't she the recently found lost heiress? She's the talk of the land."

Sephiroth nodded. "Yes, indeed. She's blossomed into quite beautiful and extremely smart woman… then again, she has always been. I told my son I already gave my blessings for them." He chuckled at the way Roxas's expression twitched, obviously seething. Only Queen Elena and Naminé noticed this.

Elena sighed, troubled, while Naminé continued staring at Roxas beside her sympathetically, never touching her food.

"Olette wouldn't agree to marry Zexion," Roxas looked up slowly at Sephiroth, his voice cold. "Since she's a smart woman, like you said."

_Silence._

"Do you know her?" Xander questioned curiously and then snorted, turning to Naminé. "See, your fiancé's a player. You should dump him and come home with me!"

Naminé sighed, shaking her head at him. "I already told you I am not leaving this place. I happen to like it here."

"I know you too well Naminé! You don't have to pretend to be happy!"

"Xander! That's enough!" Naminé's father, King Kaito, barked angrily. Xander immediately bowed his head sheepishly.

"Hey um…" Kairi turned to Ansem suddenly and whispered, "Where's Sora?"

_Meanwhile in Sora's chamber…_

Selphie was pretending to clean Sora's room, but she didn't have to, because it was always tidy since he barely used it. In truth, she just wanted to have a talk with the brunette prince, who was lazily lying on his bed, his head buried into his pillow as she loomed over him, hands on her hips.

"You're here more often… usually you'd be away by now," she said while examining him carefully.

"Your point?" Came Sora's tired, muffled reply.

"Oh, drop the act. You love her I know you do!"

"Who?"

"Princess Naminé," She whispered. "You can tell, I won't tell anyone I promise! I'm really good at keeping secrets!"

Sora snored.

Selphie fumed. "Fine! Pretend to sleep! But you should know that you have another competition now: her childhood friend… Lord Xander! He's not bad looking y'know!"

Another snore.

"He's down in the dining hall now; they've just started eating after Lord Sephiroth arrived—"

Sora immediately sat up, wide-eyed in alarm. "Sephiroth is here!"

Selphie smirked triumphantly. "Hah! I knew it! You're up! Yeah he's down having dinner with everyone…"

Sora hurriedly jumps of his bed and wears his boot, and then starts looking for the other one.

Selphie shook her head at him, sighing. "You're wearing it!"

"Oh," Sora realizes, and then quickly leaves to the dining hall…

On his way looking for his destination, he stumbled across an unfamiliar stranger. A black-haired young woman around his age.

"Who are you?" Sora asked bluntly while raising a suspicious eyebrow at her.

"Oh hi! I'm Yuffie Kisaragi! I'm the Princess of the Wutai Kingdom!" She grinned at him and excitedly came over.

"Princess Yuffie Kisaragi. I was told you've just arrived," smiled the Queen forcefully behind her while checking out Yuffie up and down distastefully. She was wearing shorts instead of a dress. "It is a pleasure to have you here in our Kingdom at last. I hope you enjoy your stay here."

"Thanks! I'm already lovin' it here!" Yuffie eyed her surroundings in awe. "So classy! Unlike my Wutai! Everything is wild-style there!" She laughed giddily.

"Yes, I am sure," Elena said through a tight smile. "Come, we should hurry to the dining hall. The others are waiting," she added calmly while leading them there.

_At the Dining Hall…_

The Queen entered first, followed by Sora and Yuffie, and Vincent – her ambassador and guardian – somewhere behind in the shadows.

"Oh look! It is Prince Sora with the Princess of Wutai, she is finally here!" Exclaimed Marluxia to Naminé.

Naminé quickly looked up to find Sora and Yuffie being seated in front of her at the opposite side of the table.

"Sora!" Kairi beamed from across the table. Sora smiled back at her in acknowledgement, and then glared at Sephiroth at the far end of the table.

"It is a pleasure to have you in our Kingdom, Princess," smiled Ansem politely, sitting by Sora's side. "I am Lord Ansem, head of the council," he looked around her searchingly. "May I ask where your escorts are? They must be famished as well after your long journey…"

Yuffie shook her head at him giddily, the grin never leaving her face. "I came with my guardian alone, and he doesn't like to eat!"

Ansem and the rest of the table blinked at her stupidly. "He… does not eat?" Questioned Ansem dumbly.

"Yup."

"…_Ever_?" Ansem's eyes widened in disbelief.

Yuffie shrugged casually. "I dunno! I just haven't seen him eat, not once in my life! And he's been with my family since I was a kid! Come to think of it…." She scratched her chin thoughtfully. "He never aged since I met him…."

"….." Everyone was gaping at her in shocked silence.

"Is he human?" Some random gentleman murmured quietly.

"Maybe he is too shy to eat in front of other people!" Another suggested.

"W-Well… Where is he now?" Ansem asked carefully while looking around them.

"There!" She pointed behind her near the wall, where Vincent was coolly leaning on it with his arms crossed.

Everyone looked up at him at once, intrigued. The Queen was the only one who was showing indifference, and was busy eating her meal calmly.

"H-Hello there…." Ansem greeted the silent ambassador nervously.

"….." Vincent stared back at him with a stoic look.

"It is very nice to meet you," said Ansem more slowly and loudly.

"…."

"Would you like to join us at the table for dinner?"

Vincent shook his head silently and then looked away in disinterest.

Ansem turned to Yuffie curiously. "Does he talk?"

"Yeah. Sometimes."

Everyone exchanged worried glances. Except Sora, who was busy wolfing down his food.

"Doesn't he remind you of our butler Nam?" Xander turned to the blonde, smiling, and Roxas groaned. "We called him the teleporting butler."

Naminé smiled back at him uneasily, sensing Roxas's annoyance.

"He misses you terribly, you know. Maybe you should go home with me to see him."

"Won't you give up?" Roxas hissed, already in a bad mood thanks to Sephiroth.

"I believe it is none of your concern, _Your Majesty_," Xander retorted with a glare of his own.

Naminé let out another sigh while Ansem coughed loudly in his fist and said in attempt to distract them, "Princess, you are aware about the assassination attempt on His Majesty not so long ago, are you not?" He asked Yuffie carefully.

Yuffie nodded solemnly, turning to Roxas. "Yeah, I've heard. I'm sorry that some of our people would try to do such a thing. I'm honestly ashamed. I'll help you to catch them and bring them to justice however I can."

Ansem smiled at her politely. "Thank you. That is very kind of you Princess."

"Please excuse us for not giving you a proper welcoming, Princess Yuffie," said the Queen without any real emotion.

"That's alright! I'm not staying here very long anyway!" Yuffie replied. "Umm… by the way… where is Prince Sora?"

"You're sitting right next to him," Sora replied with a mischievous grin.

"You!" She exclaimed excitedly, grinning. "You're the one who won the recent tournament! In my Wutai, the best fighter is the best man! I've heard so much good things about your performance! I am your biggest fan!"

"Wow… I'm flattered," Sora replied, scratching the back of his head with a sheepish grin.

Yuffie blushed, grinning back. "Hehe… You're so cute…Oh!" She suddenly remembered something. "That's right! I just remembered… I met a friend of yours on the way before coming here!"

Sora turned to her while blinking curiously. "A friend? Who?"

"His name was Riku!" She told him excitedly.

Sora froze, his eyes widening. "R-Riku? What did he want?"

She shrugged. "Nothing! He seems like a very good friend! He really cares about you!"

Sora smiled weakly, doubtful.

"Trust me! I can easily tell about people! You could say it's one of my many awesome talents!"

On the other side of the table, Naminé was watching them uneasily.

Kairi huffed next to her. "I don't like the Princess of Wutai. She is so coming on to him. And Sora is too dense to notice!"

Naminé silently agreed.

Meanwhile, as he was silently observing Yuffie, Sephiroth had a **flashback**…

_"How did it go?" He asked his son, Riku, stiffly while sitting behind his office._

_"Alright," replied Riku casually while taking a seat in front of his father._

_"Give me details boy," Sephiroth glared up at him impatiently._

_Riku rolled his eyes before answering, "She doesn't know a thing. A complete idiot, another copy of Sora."_

_"So you let her go?"_

_"She doesn't know a thing," repeated Riku irritatedly while staring back at his father with annoyance._

_"Are you positive?" His father narrowed his eyes at him carefully, studying him._

_Riku nodded._

_"Good job," Sephiroth praised him emotionlessly, smirking._

**End of Flashback**

"So, you're actually his brother?" Xander questioned Sora, nodding toward Roxas's direction with disdain.

"Yep," Sora turned to him casually.

"And yet you didn't fully take your brother's side…" Xander smiled approvingly. "I like you. You're way better than your brother."

_I wonder if you'll still like me if you know the truth…_ "Uh, thanks," Sora replied with an awkward smile.

Naminé seemed to think the same thing, for Sora noticed she was trying to suppress a smile. He grinned mischievously and got up, having already finished his meal.

"So, you guys are going to have a match tomorrow at the arena huh?" Sora said out loud as he circled the table.

"You are?" King Kaito, Queen Mei and Queen Elena all exclaimed at once at Roxas and Xander.

Naminé tensed when she noticed that Sora was coming closer.

"Both of you clearly care a great deal about her… but…" He stopped just behind Naminé's seat and leaned in slightly close to her ear, "Which one does the princess really like?"

She couldn't breathe until Sora leaned back and added, "It'll be interesting! Princess should definitely come too. To cheer the guys on as they duke it out." With the mischievous grin still on his face, he innocently and casually left the dining hall.

"Sora's right! You should come Nam!" Xander exclaimed.

"Yeah, watch me kick his ass!" Roxas countered with a mocking smirk.

"SILENCE!" King Kaito bellowed abruptly. "I do not like to be disturbed while I am eating."

"…" Everyone bowed their head low silently, intimidated.

"I can't believe this!" Queen Elena shook her head. "A circus in my dining hall! We have guests! Is this how their first impression of us should be?" She shook her head disappointedly. "How disgraceful!"

_Silence. _

"Continue your meal. Silently please!" The Queen ordered coldly before turning back to her own meal.

Suddenly, the doors opened, and everyone turned around to see Riku entering…


	19. When There Was Love

Chapter 19:

Just as he'd left the dining hall, Sora came face to face with Riku. He froze, eyes wide, and his arms dropped slowly to his sides.

Riku stopped too and stared back at him emotionlessly.

Silence.

"Why?" Riku asked quietly all of a sudden.

The silver-head didn't have to complete his question, for Sora always figured out what was on his mind eventually. "I didn't tell because you're my friend," the brunette replied softly, and then sadly he added, "Even if you don't feel the same way anymore…"

"Hmph," Riku quickly looked away and then added coldly, "Don't worry. Nothing bad will happen to your precious brother... Not today, not yet." And with that, he passed Sora to enter the dining hall, without looking at him.

Sora stood where he was for a while, staring miserably into space.

_Riku…_

_Later that evening…_

"Don't lie to me Riku. There's something going on between you and Sora. You barely see each other these days. Tell me what happened!" Kairi demanded, pouting at the silver-head.

An hour after dinner, everyone gathered in one of the guest halls to have tea. Kairi sat beside Riku, with Naminé and then Roxas sitting on her other side, listening silently to their conversation.

Riku leaned back and let out a sigh. "Nothing happened," he insisted.

"Then why did Sora leave the minute you came in? I'm not stupid Riku! I _know_ he's avoiding you! I want to know _why_!"

Naminé glared sideways at Riku, frowning. Riku felt her eyes on him and looked at her curiously. She looked away. That piqued his curiosity.

"The Princess of the Hallow Basion Kingdom visits you often?" Queen Mei questioned suddenly, turning everyone's attention toward the red-head.

Kairi looked away from Riku and blushed a bit under their stares.

"Yes," Elena replied emotionlessly. "Princess Kairi and Lord Riku are Sora's friends."

"Riku's closer to Sora than anyone else," Roxas commented quietly while looking over at Riku, also finding it strange that those two were avoiding each other now.

"Brat would always prefer Lord Riku's company over everyone else's," Ansem added, smiling. "That drove everyone suspicious. Why, I remember when Brat was just a child, he asked me if he could marry Lord Riku."

Everyone laughed as Kairi looked sideways at Riku to see his expression, grinning.

"Hmph," the silver-head looked away, frowning. But Kairi could tell he was fighting off a smile. She stifled a giggle as Yuffie looked at Riku sympathetically.

"In fact…" Queen Elena said suddenly, catching everyone's attention. "Rufus had always planned for Princess Kairi and Sora to marry one day. I thought I'd honor his wish, after Roxas and Princess Naminé get married of course."

Kairi's face became crimson as she smiled to herself shyly, while Naminé's eyes widened slightly in shock, her heart sinking into her stomach and breaking all over again. She bit her lower lip in a desperate attempt to keep her tears from gushing out.

Yuffie, leaning back on the piano a bit further from them, frowned competitively at the red-head from the distance. _Competition, huh…_

"Ah, yes…His Majesty, rest his soul, thought it appropriate since those two seemed to fancy each other," Ansem added, smiling.

"Rest his soul…" Kaito repeated, sighing at the memory of his friend. "He was a stubborn but tactful man. If he set his sight on something, he'd get it. It was only a matter of time," he smiled to himself softly. "He was a great man. A great king."

Everyone remained silent for a while, mourning him.

A tear betrayed Naminé and came down her left cheek. Everyone thought it was only mourning the late King. Everyone except Roxas and Xander. They studied the blonde princess with concern.

_Meanwhile, outside a farmhouse near town…_

Sora and the old farmer's now six year old daughter Nina were sitting on her house's front perch, staring up at the starry sky.

"I have a dream," she told him suddenly, sighing. "I'm waiting for a shooting star to make it come true."

Sora turned to her, grinning. "What is it this time?"

She sighed dreamily, cupping her face between her palms. "I want to marry King Roxas!"

Sora's eyes widened in surprise, and then he chuckled softly while looking back at the sky.

"He is sooo cute!" She turned to the brunette innocently. "Just like you! But he's rich and he has a biiig castle! I want to live there!" She exclaimed, looking at the castle's direction and sighing again.

Sora watched her amusedly, grinning. "But he's in love with Princess Naminé. They're going to get married soon y'know," he finished quietly.

"If only I was a princess too…" She pouted at the floor sadly. "I wish I could meet a prince…"

_Silence. _Sora watched her, thinking of a way to cheer her up. "Hey…" He nudged her arm gently, smiling. "Let's pretend I'm a prince okay?"

She turned to him, her eyes widening curiously.

"I'll take you with me to see King Roxas's and Princess Naminé's wedding when the day comes, I'll even save you a dance there, in that big, beautiful castle—" He grinned at way her eyes lit up. "And on top of that, I'll dress like a true prince for you, how's that?"

"You PROMISE?"

He laughed, pinching her nose playfully. "I promise, Nins."

"Yay!" She grinned happily and threw herself in his arms. "Thank you Sora! I love you so much!"

"Love you too," he replied, chuckling as she excitedly ran into her house, eager to tell her mother of their promise.

Just as she went in, her father came out, shaking his head at her and then smiling back at Sora.

"Good evening Mr. Tanaka!"

"I told you, call me Taro."

"Taro," the brunette said sheepishly, standing up. "Thanks for everything. See ya." He began turning around to leave.

"What? Leaving already?" Taro exclaimed, appalled. "You're not staying with us like usual?"

Sora shook his head. "I can't stay here anymore. I've troubled you enough, besides… I'm sorta… busy… these days. My family needs me."

"I see." Taro nodded, and then slowly walked toward him while staring up at the sky. "The assassination attempt on our king…" he began, making Sora tense a bit. "Shocking wasn't it?"

"Yeah," Sora replied with a nervous grin. "Glad he's okay now. We'd be lost without him."

"Not quite," Taro replied, smiling back mysteriously. "I heard rumors… of the king having a younger brother."

Sora tensed visibly now. He chuckled nervously, "Oh yeah… I've heard about them too!"

"They say his name's also Sora," the old man added, his knowing smile growing.

Sora bowed his head, busted.

Taro smiled warmly. "Look, I don't know where you come from, and I won't pressure you to tell me. You're a good person, and that's enough for me."

Sora smiled up at him gratefully, still feeling somewhat sheepish though.

"But, I'm curious about one thing... Lately you're coming more frequently… and you seem troubled about something," he paused and examined Sora with concern. "Are you running away from something?"

The brunette let out an automatic sigh.

With a fatherly smile, Taro asked, "Women problems?"

Sora looked surprised.

He laughed. "So I am right… I have a keen eye for these things you know…what could be the problem, if I may ask? I'm experienced; I've lived with my wife for 50 years. I can give good advice!"

Sora looked at the ground uncertainly.

"Unrequited love perhaps?"

"Not really…" Sora replied with a weak grin. "She already confessed to me."

Taro grinned. "I am not surprised. In fact, I was surprised when you told me you are single when we first met. All the young women in the town are very fond of you. But you're very mysterious; after all, nobody knows where you come from and where you suddenly disappear to. And you're strikingly good looking, like a royalty…" He stopped and coughed into his fist.

Sora laughed at that, grinning.

"So?" Taro prompted suddenly. "After she confessed to you, what did you say?"

"…I didn't feel the same."

"I see. And were you sure about that?"

Sora sighed. "All I knew was that we couldn't happen."

"Why?"

_Silence._ Sora was worried he was saying too much.

The old man chuckled. "Don't worry lad. You know you can trust me."

"Anyway…" Sora sighed again. "I tried to avoid her after that… but I still find myself keep coming back. It's like I have no control over myself…"

"So you ran away," Taro looked back at the sky with a soft smile. "She seized your heart after all."

Sora's head slumped low sheepishly.

The old man laughed out loud. "Women! So your pride won't let you admit to her that you've come to share her feelings? Is that it?"

Sora looked away with a slight frown. "Pride has little to do with it… it's more complicated than that."

_Silence. _

"Well," Taro sighed. "You're free to stay here anytime you want, you're always welcome," He started to go inside. "Good night son. I wish it all works out for you in the end." As he said that, unknowingly to both of them, a shooting star crossed the sky above them. He paused and turned around again, "Rest well tonight. You look kind of sick lad."

"Will do. G'night," Sora replied softly, smiling appreciatively at his friend as he went inside. _Finally someone noticed I'm sick…_ Then he turned around and went on his way back to the castle, hoping that Riku had already left…

_Back at the castle, the guests' hall…_

"Princess Yuffie, do you know how to play the piano?" Queen Mei asked curiously, noticing the black-headed princess leaning against it.

Yuffie blinked, and then shook her head quickly, getting off the piano. "Oh no, I've never touched a piano in my life!"

Mei looked surprised as Marluxia asked, "But you're a princess…"

"Back in my Wutai, being a skilled and brave assassin is enough!" She told them proudly.

They smiled at her weakly.

"I… see…" Mei said while nervously taking a sip of her tea.

"Naminé can play the piano beautifully!" Xander exclaimed suddenly, smiling at the blonde. "Remember our piano tutor, Ms. Hanna? She misses you too—"

"Forget it. She doesn't want to come home with you," Roxas cut him off irritatedly.

The others sighed, growing weary of those two.

"I've never heard her play the piano…" Elena murmured suddenly, interested.

"Naminé," Kaito looked at his daughter. She quickly snapped out of her daze. "Play something for us. We could use a little music before retiring to our beds."

"I agree," Mei nodded, and then smiled at Naminé. "Go ahead darling."

Reluctantly, Naminé got up and went to the piano. She stared at it for some time before she finally started playing a sad, gentle tune…

Meanwhile, Sora was just outside the barely open door when he heard the tune. He stopped and listened intently, mesmerized by the beautiful sound. He peeked inside to find that it was Naminé playing the piano. She was very engrossed in it. She looked so sad that it was heart breaking.

Ansem removed a tear from the corner of his eye, touched by her performance like the rest of them. Tears streamed down Naminé's face as well, but most of the people in the room thought that she was only engrossed with her music.

Sora knew. Xander felt something was wrong. And Roxas saw it, how broken and miserable she was. Like a bird in a cage. No matter what he did, he never truly brought a smile to her face.

"Wow… Naminé's good!" Kairi gasped in awe.

Riku watched her silently, an emotionless expression in his face.

"She looks sad…" Yuffie muttered quietly when Naminé was finished, watching her curiously.

Sora was expecting that Riku had already left with his father. But when he looked into the hall, he saw that the silver-head was still there, sitting next to Kairi, only his father had left.

The brunette frowned and started to leave when King Kaito commanding voice stopped him, "Prince Sora. Do join us."

Sora cursed mentally and then reluctantly entered the hall, avoiding looking at a certain silver-head.

"Sora!" Kairi exclaimed with surprise. "Where were you?"

"Out and about," he replied with a weak smile, and then briefly glanced at Naminé's direction, still sitting in front of the piano with her back to him.

"What did you think of Naminé's music?" Roxas asked suddenly, startling Sora a bit.

"It was nice," Sora replied guardedly, and then curiously added, "I never knew Princess knows how to play the piano…"

"She used to have piano lessons from the best tutors in our kingdom," Xander informed him.

"We've made sure to instill our daughter with all the qualities and skills befitting a princess," Queen Mei said proudly, and then turned to boast to Elena, "We've taught her to speak five languages."

"My, my… considering her age, that's quite impressive," Elena nodded, impressed.

Sora glanced at Naminé again. She was still facing the piano with her back to them. He knew that she was hiding her expression from them and felt sorry for her, her life certainly wasn't easy.

"I'm going to bed," the brunette exclaimed suddenly while looking back at the others.

"So soon?" Yuffie mumbled, pouting and standing up automatically.

"Good night Brat," Ansem said as the others nodded or just looked at him in acknowledgement.

Suddenly, he felt Kairi drag him and Riku outside the hall, linking both arms with hers.

She released them outside and glared at them scoldingly with her hands on her hips, "Now talk to each other and make up properly y'hear? I'm sure you two miss each other terribly!" She grinned. And with that, she left them alone and went back inside, feeling satisfied.

Sora and Riku slowly looked at each other awkwardly.

"Why're you still here? What're you planning?" Sora asked carefully all of a sudden, trying to study the silver-head.

"My old man told me to come," Riku replied emotionlessly, shrugging.

"Does he… Does he know that I know?" Sora asked quietly.

Riku shook his head, turning away.

Sora looked surprised. "Why haven't you told him?"

"None of your business. I know what I'm doing," the silver-head replied coldly, and then coolly walked away.

Sora let out a heavy sigh, and then went to his room.

Outside, Riku was preparing to mount his horse to go home. He was surprised to find Yuffie coming to see him off.

"Boring wasn't it?" She chuckled, grinning. "King Roxas and Lord Xander are all bark but no bite… So boring… I was waiting for them to fight it out like true men! The people here are so unlike my Wutai… well… Princess Naminé has two males fighting over her. This is almost like in my Wutai! If two men want the same female they fight it out, and the winner claims her!"

"How… primitive," he rolled his eyes.

She pouted, hands on her hips. "It's the same for females too! We're not sexists like you here!"

"Hmph…"

"That friend of yours, Princess Kairi…" She said her name with contempt, pouting. "She obviously wants Sora, I can tell! But only the best female can get him!"

He raised an eyebrow, his tone emotionless as he said, "You like Sora? Hmph…"

Yuffie blushed a bit, "H-He'll be mine by the time I'm finished here! Then I plan to take him back with me to Wutai!" She exclaimed boldly.

Riku couldn't suppress his grin, he looked away to hide it.

She smiled. "That's more like it. Lighten up, pretty boy!" She stopped and then added, "By the way… about your friend… Did you apologize yet?"

His expression suddenly turned back cold. "No. And keep away from me and my business."

She was taken aback by his sudden coldness, she opened his mouth to say something, but he already rode off. She sighed.

"Quit delaying it," Vincent – her guardian – told her frustratedly, suddenly appearing next to her.

"No… give it more time…" She replied quietly without looking at him. "He just needs time…"

That night, Sora kept tossing in his bed, unable to sleep. He kept thinking about Riku, about Naminé, about his inevitable engagement to Kairi… He felt weak and tired as well due to the sickness getting to him.

The last thought he had before his body finally surrendered to sleep was of his mother tenderly caressing his forehead, and humming a soft lullaby as he slowly fell to sleep…

He wondered if it was a memory, or just a wishful creation of his imagination…

_The Next Morning…_

"Is _His Majesty_ avoiding you?" Xander asked Naminé grudgingly as they made their way through the forest to the lake to meet her father. He asked them to join him there to practice his favorite hobby, fishing.

Naminé shrugged. Roxas was supposed to come too, but he'd been isolating himself from the rest since last night. He didn't even sleep in their room. Naminé heard from Selphie that he'd spent the night in his father's old office. His behavior reminded her of how he used to be when she first came to the castle. Cold and distant…

Xander scoffed suddenly. "Lovely!" He barked sarcastically. "What sort of man avoids his woman? He's an idiot to leave _you_ alone! That good for nothing – he must be seeing another woman! I told you he's no good! You should co—"

"Oh please, save it Xander…" She sighed wearily, rolling her eyes. "I'm not going anywhere! I told you million times I'm not leaving! And don't judge Roxas harshly please. You don't know him or what he's been through."

"I know I don't like him…Never showing up for our promised challenge and making me wait for him at the arena since early morning like a fool…" Xander grumbled grudgingly to himself, looking away with an irritated frown. Naminé almost giggled out loud at his expression until he added, "Even his brother didn't show up…" he huffed, didn't notice that Naminé was frowning at the mention of the brunette prince. "What sort of place is this? The people in it are insufferable!"

"…"

He stared at her worriedly. "Naminé…?"

They made it to the lake then. King Kaito and Ansem were already there, fishing. The Hikari King sensed their presence and turned to greet his daughter and son figure with a bright smile. "Good morning!" His smile disappeared when he noticed that Roxas wasn't with them. "Where is your fiancé?" He asked Naminé automatically, frowning.

"He's busy," Xander answered for her quickly when he noticed her hesitation.

"Hmph!" Kaito looked back at the lake, not pleased.

"I-I am sure His Majesty did not intend to break his engagement with you," Ansem told him nervously.

Naminé smiled at Xander gratefully. Like always, she could depend on him.

They spent nearly half an hour watching King Kaito fish while sitting under a tree when Sora finally showed up, running toward the King and then kneeling down to catch his breath. "Sorry I'm late!" He wheezed out.

Naminé gazed at Sora's back with surprise. She wasn't told that Sora was also invited.

"Where were you this morning?" Xander demanded next to the blonde, frowning.

The brunette turned around and smiled sheepishly while scratching the back of his head. "I overslept."

Ansem shook his head while Xander and Naminé smiled.

"Your honesty is admirable," Xander remarked, smiling.

Sora chuckled, and then his eyes connected with Naminé's. A lingering stare.

"Son, over here!" Kaito called out suddenly, startling the brunette.

Naminé's eyes widened in surprise. _Son?_

"I haven't caught a single fish," Kaito said as Sora came to him, frowning.

"Let's see your bait," Sora suggested.

Naminé and Xander watched curiously as Sora changed King Kaito's bait for him. Fifteen minutes later, Kaito lured in a medium-sized Lake Trout.

Ansem laughed excitedly, watching the wobbling fish in awe. "Impressive Your Majesty!"

"It's all thanks to you!" Kaito clapped Sora's back roughly, laughing.

Sora grinned brightly from ear to ear, laughing at how happy and not the least bit intimidating Naminé's father looked in that moment. Upon catching sight of his grin, King Kaito froze, staring at him with his mouth slightly open.

Sora's grin disappeared. "What's wrong?" He questioned, his unique blue eyes blinking innocently. Even Ansem looked confused.

"I…" Kaito stopped and snapped out of his daze. "You reminded me of someone…"

"Me?" Sora blinked again, eyes wide open curiously.

After gazing into his eyes, Kaito instantly remembered…

_**Flashback**_

_More than fifteen years ago…_

Rufus and Kaito were galloping on their horses across the field around Twilight castle while discussing Kaito's kingdom's affairs.

"I am planning to make Xander the successor of my throne," Kaito said. "Since his family died during the plague, I decided to adopt him. His family were very close friends of mine after all." He paused and sighed. "Poor child. He is only one year old. To lose your family at such a young age…"

"But what if you had a boy of your own?"

"Then of course, he'd be the rightful heir. But if I had a girl instead… Xander will take my throne and she…" He looked at Rufus and smiled. "I was hoping she'd marry your son… when you have one."

Rufus turned to him and smiled back, momentarily distracted from the road. "I'd be honored."

Suddenly, they heard a woman's scream. They turned their heads swiftly ahead of them.

"Rufus!" Kaito yelled alarmingly, for his friend's horse was almost going to squash the young woman under his feet.

Fortunately, Rufus jumped over her on his horse at the last second.

Kaito let out a sigh of relief as Rufus calmed his horse and then pulled on his reign to stop him.

The poor woman was frozen from fear. Soon after she regained her composure, she stormed after Rufus's horse angrily. In the background, Kaito watched with surprise as she started screaming at Rufus, "How dare you mister! You almost frightened me to death! Damn you! Da—" She stopped abruptly when Rufus turned around his horse and she saw who it was she was cursing. "…Y-Your Majesty!" She squeaked out, her beautiful blue eyes wide open in shock.

Rufus examined her from head to toe with brazen interest. "You are?" He demanded quietly.

Kaito was also mesmerized by the sight of the woman. She wore simple, peasant clothes. But she was still a breathtaking beauty. Mysterious sea blue eyes and long brown hair.

She grinned sheepishly, scratching the back of her head. "I'm a servant at your castle."

"That's good to know but I wasn't asking about that. I was asking about your name, woman." He demanded more impatiently.

She pouted in a way Kaito and Rufus thought was cute. "Why? You're not going to deduct from my salary are you?"

Rufus was surprised at her cheeky attitude. He wondered if she still didn't realize who she was speaking to. He raised an eyebrow. "I will if you don't do as I ordered you to and tell me your name."

She took a step forward panicky. "Mina!" She quickly told him and he smiled. "My name is Mina! Please don't deduct from my salary!"

He laughed; she stopped and blinked at him with wide open eyes, surprised.

"What were you doing out, Mina?" Rufus asked with a warm smile.

"I was running errands in town for Her Majesty the Queen..." She replied.

"You walked all the way to town?" Kaito questioned, appalled. "Why didn't you take a carriage?"

"Her Majesty wouldn't let me get into one…" Mina replied quietly, looking down with a slight frown.

"That woman has a heart made of stone!"' Kaito told Rufus, huffing.

Rufus sighed and then looked back at Mina and smiled. "Ride with us back to the castle."

Mina looked up quickly, alarmed, shaking her hands. "No way! I'm not tired or anything and I quite enjoy the walk—"

"I insist."

"Thanks but no thanks."

Rufus's smile slipped and was replaced by a frown. "Do you recognize who I am woman?" He told her harshly.

"A tyrant," she mumbled under her breath, pouting.

"Can't hear you!"

She let out a defeated sigh, her shoulders slumping. "Fine, fine… which horse will I be riding on?"

"Excuse me?"

"You don't expect me to ride with one of you men…" She looked at both of them incredulously.

"You expect _us_ to share the same horse then madam?" Rufus retorted, exchanging a laugh with Kaito, and then he looked back at her solemnly as he ordered, "Climb on."

She sighed again in defeat and walked over to them. Kaito prepared to have her climb his horse, smiling eagerly. He was disappointed, however, when Rufus blocked the way to his horse and offered Mina a hand up to climb his instead.

Kaito watched amusedly as Mina sat behind Rufus on his horse, not looking the least bit happy. Then they rode off together ahead of him. The Hikari King started shaking his head and smiling. _'You win this time, Rufus…'_

**End of flashback**

"Naminé! Xander!" Kaito turned back to them. "Come fish with us."

Naminé and Xander knew better than to say no to him. They came over and soon, they were both given fishing rods and fishing alongside them.

Ten minutes passed.

"This is incredibly boring…" Xander sighed.

"No more complaints from you boy," Kaito warned. "Or I will send you back to our kingdom before my daughter's wedding. I am sure King Roxas will like that."

Xander immediately stopped complaining after that. Ansem, Sora and Naminé snickered at that.

After that, Naminé caught several logs, cans and random garbage. She pouted cutely when she caught a log for the second time.

"It's alright Nam. Fishing is all about luck, nothing to do with skill," Xander tried to cheer her up.

"Yeah, look at the bright side – at least you're helping cleaning the environment," Sora remarked, grinning mischievously when Naminé glared at him.

She focused back on the lake. "I'll catch a fish, you'll see," she told him competitively. For Sora had already caught the most fish out of all of them – four; her father two; Ansem, Xander and her – none.

Sora grinned impishly, thoroughly enjoying this. "Doubt you can beat my record, Princess."

Soon after that, she actually caught a fish which she held high in front of him triumphantly. A small one, but still very much a real, living fish.

"Doesn't count. That's probably an idiot stray fish," the brunette told her, grinning. "Won't happen again, I'm sure."

In no time, Naminé's record actually exceeded Sora. She caught five fish. Sora and the others gaped at her as she actually smirked at them proudly.

"Wow Nam… must you be good at everything?" Xander laughed.

"Remarkable… someone actually defeated Brat at something," Ansem said in awe.

"That's my daughter!" Kaito barked a laugh.

Ironically, Sora started catching garbage instead. He pouted as he pulled out underwear. Everyone burst out laughing.

"That's what you get for challenging Nam!" Xander exclaimed while laughing.

Sora's attention was elsewhere however. He was watching Naminé laughing so hard, and barely resisted the urge to pinch her.

Kaito observed silently. He was surprised to hear his daughter's laugh. She'd rarely laughed this hard. The sound warmed his heart. He looked back at Sora, grinning at Naminé and teasing her with the underwear he fished, holding it up with a stick. She laughed and ran away from him. He chased her with the underwear. Ansem shook his head with a smile while Xander laughed, shouting at Naminé to run faster.

King Kaito shook his head slowly while watching them from the distance, an awed look on his face. _Could it be…?_

**Flashback**

_Months later after meeting Mina, at Rufus's office…_

Kaito had visited his friend in his kingdom. They were standing next to each other in front of the window. Rufus was intently watching Mina playing with a dog below at the castle garden from the window, surrounded by roses. He sighed heavily.

"If I was granted a next life in which I am not married, I'd have her – commoner or not," Kaito said, following his friend's vision.

Rufus sighed again. "Mina is untouchable, unobtainable…Besides…" He looked at Kaito and smirked. "You have to go through me to get her."

Kaito laughed. "Are you planning to make her your mistress? I wouldn't blame you. That cold-hearted wife of yours is insufferable."

"I am planning to seize her heart," he told him seriously.

"Interesting. And how is that plan going so far?" Kaito raised an eyebrow, smiling knowingly.

Rufus coughed embarrassedly, looking away.

"Very interesting," the Hikari King laughed. "But knowing you and your persistence… it's only a matter of time."

_A month later…_

Rufus and Kaito were walking down the hallway. They met Mina as she was dusting the portraits and stopped to greet her.

"Ah…!" Rufus was about to call her, but she scurried off without even looking at him.

Kaito blinked. "Is it only me, or does it seem like Mina is avoiding you?" He asked curiously.

Rufus sighed as they continued walking. "I confessed to her," he admitted.

Kaito's eyes widened in shock. "You did! And what did she say?"

"She rejected me," Rufus replied while looking away to hide his embarrassment, frowning.

Kaito burst out laughing. "What a mystery that woman is! What did she tell you, I am curious?"

Rufus's frown deepened, and Kaito stopped laughing immediately when he noticed how serious his friend was. "She told me she only thinks of my as a brother." His frowned became angry. "Hmph! We'll see how long these 'brotherly' feelings will last…"

Kaito shook his head, smiling. "I thought she'd be the one to try to seduce you. Not the other way around. For a maid, she has quite some pride!"

Rufus sighed heavily and looked back at the way she left from with a lingering stare in his eyes…

**End of Flashback**

Kaito could still remember how fondly Rufus looked at her. _You were really serious about her then, weren't you Rufus…?_

_Meanwhile, at the castle's cemetery, in front of King Rufus's grave…_

Roxas was staring at his father's grave in deep thought, a sad frown on his face. He didn't notice his mother, Queen Elena, coming next to him.

"I know what's troubling your mind Roxas."

"…"

"Your father…Rufus… was behaving just like you before he went and committed that one unforgivable mistake…putting himself and his desires before his own kingdom…"

"…"

Queen turned to him angrily, her expression furious. "And I'd be damned if I let you repeat that mistake again! So don't you EVER consider breaking your engagement to Princess Naminé!"

Roxas finally turned to her. "How would you even know what I'm thinking?" He muttered quietly.

Gently, she put a hand on his shoulder and squeezed it. "You're my son. I know you."

He scoffed lightly under his breath at the last sentence, then hung his head low and finally muttered, "She doesn't love me."

"She is a fool!" The Queen snapped.

Roxas shook his head, a pained expression on his face. "No. I am. I should have seen it earlier…"

"You… You knew?" Elena's eyes widened in shock at the realization.

"It's my brother... She loves him..." He let out a sigh. "...And why wouldn't she? Sora has been more impressive than I am. He could do it all. I'm a pathetic excuse of a king compared to him. I feel like his shadow…"

"My dear Roxas! Oh how much you have suffered!" She squeezed his shoulder again, staring at him softly. "That ill-bred so-called brother of yours… had he truly cared for you like you did for him, he wouldn't have let such a despicable thing to happen!"

Roxas shook his head, sighing. "No…"

"He doesn't belong here. He never has. He belongs out there, among the commoners… where he has always preferred anyway!"

"Mom, stop it—"

"You are the king. You have the power. You can make him go, disappear from our lives. Never to bother us again!"

Roxas looked down at his father's grave, staring at it gloomily. "I could never do such a thing. I promised dad I'd look after him."

Elena's eyes lit up hopefully. "Is that why you are here? You are torn?"

Roxas shook his head again and sighed heavily at his mother. "You don't understand. You will never understand…"

She frowned. "What, pray tell, that I will never understand?"

"Sora, Hayner, Pence… Olette… those who you thought were the 'dirty bloods' you hate so much gave me something I've never had from you in all our time together," he told her quietly.

"And what is that? …Love?" She scoffed. "Don't be foolish. Love?" She laughed out loud humorlessly. "It is a myth! It does not exist!"

The blonde king watched his mother laugh coldly with a sad expression. "That's why you'll never understand," he muttered quietly.

She stopped laughing and frowned at him. "Don't be ridiculous Roxas! Face reality! There's no such thing as love! Before I was even born, like many other royalty, I was engaged to marry Rufus. My destiny was chosen for me. So you see, there's no room for love! It is but a wishful fantasy! And those foolish commoners you call friends… I was doing you a favor by keeping them away from you! They were a hindrance!"

"When you left me… it was _them_ that stood by me. Olette knew… She understood what it feels like to lose a mother. She never left my side. Me, Hayner, Pence and her… We'd play and hang out together whenever I was free from my responsibilities… It was the happiest time of my life," he smiled at the memory, and then frowned again. "But then you thought they weren't appropriate companions for me. I couldn't see them. And because I wanted to please you, thinking that if I did then maybe my mom will come back… I stayed away from them. I became the person you wanted me to be. But you know what? I hate that person! I felt lost and miserable!"

"Ungrateful child!" Elena snapped.

"Dad died miserably because he gave up his happiness! And it was all because of you…" He stared at his mother, disappointed in her. "Sometimes I feel that it's not Sora who's the mistake, it's me. At least his parents loved each other!"

"_Sora_ is the mistake! _He_ is the one who should have never been born! _He_—"

"And you know what mom?" He turned fully to her, smiling. "I've always loved Olette."


	20. Of Pain & Sacrifice

**Chapter 20:**

Meanwhile, Princess Yuffie of the Wutai Kingdom was at Twilight castle's arena. She couldn't find Sora – she had wanted to spend time with the brunette prince – so she decided to spend some her time practicing her fighting skills with Captain Tifa at the arena.

"Bummer… I was really looking forward to spending time with him too…" She grumbled out loud to herself as she was walking into the arena. She stopped abruptly when she noticed Riku having a practice match with one of the castle warriors. He visited them early morning, like he did often, to practice with Squall.

Absentmindedly, she sat on the nearest seat, watching the match keenly.

Riku was pointing his sword at his opponent, a bored expression on his face. "Are you going to give me a good fight yet or not?"

The outraged warrior roared and launched at Riku with his steel-spiked chains. Riku easily and gracefully dodged them every time. The chains caught hold of Riku's sword at one point though. The warrior smirked and started pulling Riku toward him by his sword. But then Riku swung his sword around and it cut off the chains.

"Impossible!" The warrior gasped in disbelief.

Riku took this opportunity to send a kick on the warrior's stomach, and he fell back on the floor with a cry of pain, defeated.

"Hmph…Squall's not here, or I'd have had a match with him instead. You were pathetic," Riku smirked down at him mockingly. Suddenly, he heard someone clapping enthusiastically behind him and turned abruptly.

He found Yuffie standing there, clapping wildly and beaming at him. "THAT WAS AMAZING! THAT WAS INCREDIBLE! THAT WAS FLIPPIN' AWESOME!"

Riku frowned at her exaggerated excitement in annoyance.

Yuffie stopped suddenly, pouting when she saw his frown. "Aren'tcha happy to see me?"

"Not really," Riku bluntly repliedwhile making his way out of the arena toward Yuffie's direction.

Yuffie pretended to be offended, putting a hand over heart and gasping dramatically, "Cold! And here I was, so happy to see my new friend—"

Riku stopped when he passed her and leaned in with a dark, threatening look, "I'm not your friend. You barely know anything about me."

She frowned angrily at him, her eyes narrowed, and then she grinned abruptly, making Riku mutter, "You're crazy…" under his breath.

"I like your eyes…" She said out of the blue while examining his eyes closely, making Riku feel awkward. "They're so pretty and shiny. What color are they?"

_She's crazy_.Riku concluded in his head, positive this time.

"If they weren't attached to your body, I'd steal them or something! Hehehe!" She said it in a carefree manner, like she hadn't just said the creepiest thing.

"…."

"Such a bizarre color… its green, and bluish… a new color!"

Riku rolled his eyes. "It's called Aquamarine… idiot." He couldn't help not grinning then, a small lopsided grin that he'd tried unsuccessfully to suppress.

She smiled. He looked at her quizzically, "What?"

Her mischievous smile stretched. "I made you smile!"

He frowned instantly, looking away with a slight huff. "You are so annoying…whether I smiled or not is not a big deal."

"It is so! When you smile, you look a lot handsomer…err, handsomer…" she mumbled to herself thoughtfully. "Is that a word?" She looked at him questioningly.

He sighed with exasperation. "It's a wor—"

"Never mind, screw it!" She waved a hand in front of them casually. "Tell me what your hobby is."

He was thrown off-guard again, staring at her dubiously, "What?"

"I wanna know what you like to do," she clarified for him simply. "You know… In your free time."

He continued staring at her dubiously.

"_Come ooon_! I'm bored out of my freakin' mind here!" She whined suddenly, her shoulders slumping miserably as she flailed them back and forth like a child. "Sora's not here and I've got nothing else to do!"

"…" Riku blinked at her in utter bewilderment, silent. She was speaking to him like he was an old friend of hers who she could openly share secrets and have heart-to-heart conversations with. Riku was not used to such open and forthcoming people other than his only friends: Sora and Kairi. _His friends…_

Yuffie looked back at Riku incredulously all of a sudden. "Don't tell me you have nothing else you like to do… Other than playing with swords, that is..."

"What do _you_ do in your free time?" He retorted coldly after snapping out of his daze.

"I hunt treasures!" She told him proudly, and then while bringing an excited fist up, she added, "And save the world from criminals!"

"Who do you think you are?" He snorted. "Some heroic figure set out to make a change in the world, make it a better place for others?"

She beamed; thrusting her face forward in front of Riku's abruptly, almost causing him to flinch. "Yeah! That's it! That's my dream! How'd you know?"

Riku studied her confident expression silently for a while before turning his face away and asking quietly, "You really believe that one person can make a difference in the world?"

"Yup!" She replied cheerfully.

He snorted again while looking away and smirking a bit. "You really are an idiot." _…Just like__him._

"Well it's good to be an idiot sometimes!" She grinned cheerfully while rubbing the top of her nose with her finger. She slapped his chest abruptly, making him tense. "You should lighten up a bit, unwind, have some fun!"

"..." Riku ignored her and began collecting his things on the nearby bench.

"So."

Riku paused and raised an eyebrow at her. "So what? Am I supposed to read your mind now?"

"So. Did you talk to your friend Sora?"

He looked away. "No. And it's none of your business," he retorted coldly.

She sighed, staring at him in disappointment. "Tsk, tsk, tsk, tsk…"

Riku closed his eyes and tried to bear it.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk, tsk…"

His head shot up and he glared at her irritatedly. "What?"

"I can see it in your eyes—"

"Oh, cut the crap already!" He snapped. "You have no idea about me and Sora! It's more complicated than that!" He calmed down a bit and let out a small breath. "Just talking…" Riku explained difficultly while running a frustrated hand through his silver hair. "…isn't going to fix anything. And I don't expect anything to be fixed. I… I accepted it."

"…" Yuffie observed him intently.

He turned his face away in frustration. "Whatever. I'm not making any sense. Just forget it." He quickly took what was left of his things and started walking away.

Yuffie turned back at him swiftly and shouted, "I do! I totally understand you! Let me help you!"

Riku looked back at her through his shoulder in annoyance and then looked away again, never stopping, in fact, he fastened his pace.

_Meanwhile with Roxas, in his room…_

He was sitting on his bed, running a frustrated hand through his hair, very agitated at his mother after their talk earlier.

He sighed miserably at the floor. "What should I do now? I feel so helpless…."

"Are you okay?"

Roxas's head shot up abruptly, suddenly remembering a memory that happened several years ago…

**Flashback**

It was not too long after his half-brother came to live with them in the castle. Queen Elena, his mother, couldn't stand the brunette and, like countless times before since Sora had been here, she and his father Rufus were arguing in his office.

Roxas stood outside in the hallway with a frown, listening quietly. He hated how his parents would always argue. Because every time they did, his mother would always threaten to leave, and Roxas was always apprehensive that the day would actually come this time as his parents' arguments escalate.

"Elena!" His father was shouting. "Put your personal feelings aside and think about Roxas for a change! You don't possibly mean to leave him?"

"Why should _I_ put my personal feelings aside when _you_ haven't? Why weren't you concerned about Roxas before bringing in that whore's child?"

"Elena!" His shout was angrier and more intimidating this time, making Roxas flinch. "Watch your language."

"When I first married you, you were still attached to Sephiroth's sister. I overlooked that. Then, instead of turning to your own wife, you go and look at another woman? What am I to you Rufus?"

"I was never 'attached' to Lord Sephiroth's sister. She was the one attached to me," he clarified calmly.

"Too bad you had to marry me afterwards," she said sarcastically. "You certainly liked her better than me."

"Yes, Elena. Frankly, she was much more tolerable than you," he told her coldly.

She huffed. "Whatever! I've had enough humiliation… Either the vermin leaves or I do. You decide, Rufus."

"Sora is my son too," he told her softly. "I promised Mi—"

"Then I am leaving!" She cut him off abruptly. "Goodbye, Rufus!"

Roxas's eyes widened alarmingly as he watched his mom storm out of the room.

"Mom… Mom!" He called after her desperately, but she ignored him and kept going.

He followed her in a daze, and then watched helplessly as she was mounting the carriage waiting for her just outside the castle entrance.

Finally, his mother turned her head to look at him through the carriage's window. Roxas stared at her hopefully, expectantly, but her expression was emotionless. She calmly looked away again, and the carriage rode off…

Roxas watched in shock as he watched his mother leave without a word. All the people and servants who'd come to see the Queen off had dispersed already, but he still remained standing where he was, lost.

A hand held his right one gently. He turned to his right to find Sora staring back at him with that unfading grin. "Don't worry. Your brother is here," he told him cheerfully. Roxas could still remember how warm his brother's hand felt that day.

Filled with feelings of bitterness and desperation, Roxas slapped his brother's hand off roughly and pushed him to the ground, glaring down at him hatefully. "It's all your fault mom is…! Mom is…" He closed his eyes tightly and gritted his teeth, then turned and ran off into the castle before his brother could see his tears…

_A couple of days later…_

Roxas was sitting alone under the stairs; still moping over his mother's abrupt leaving.

"Are you okay?"

Olette came down and sat next to him, staring at him sideways sympathetically. A long silence followed, but Olette remained by his side patiently. Eventually, Roxas spoke, "Mom is gone…"

"I know," she replied softly.

"She… She just left."

Olette was frowning sadly at her friend. She edged closer to him and put a hand on his back. "She'll come back," she reassured him softly. "She's your mother and she loves you. I know she will come back one day."

He turned to her, his eyes wide with hope.

She smiled. "You'll see!" She stood and pulled him up with her. "Now come on! Hayner and Pence are waiting for us!"

He stared down reluctantly at the floor.

"What?" Olette blinked curiously. "You want to be alone?"

He nodded.

"No!" She exclaimed with a pout, surprising him. He looked up at her as she crossed her arms in front of her, pouting still. "We won't let you mope around anymore!"

He sighed, torn.

"Hayner and Pence are already waiting for us in your brother's room."

"Why _his_ room?" The blonde asked with contempt, frowning.

"Because Lord Ansem won't find us since nobody checks there. Besides, your brother disappeared again so he won't bother you either."

"Whatever," the blonde looked away coldly. "I'm busy."

She looked hurt. "You don't want to hang out with us?" She prompted when he didn't reply right away, "Roxas?"

"You can't expect me to hang out with you guys every day. I'm not the same as you. I have to study and practice to be a good king…" He avoided looking at her and turned away with his head hung low, adding softly, "I'm sorry."

He walked away...

_A year passed_

Roxas was sick with a cold in his bed. Olette peeked into his room. When she made sure he was alone, she entered with Roxas's breakfast tray and made her way to the side of his bed with a bright smile.

"I told Selphie that I'd deliver your breakfast tray to you today. Since they won't let me up here any other way!" She giggled softly while sitting down on the chair next to his bed after placing down the tray near him.

"Thanks," smiled Roxas a little at her tiredly.

"Are you okay?" She asked worriedly all of a sudden, placing a gentle hand on his forehead to check his temperature.

"I'm doing alright," he reassured her with a weak smile.

"Good, because…." she grinned gladly and then suddenly brought up a book in front of her face. "Tada! I brought you a bed story!"

Roxas narrowed his eyes at the book slowly. "'The Three Little Pigs And The Big Bad Wolf'? Isn't that, umm, a kid's story?"

"Yup!" She giggled at the look on his face. "I'm going to read it to you now; I think you need a little entertainment!"

"You're not… seriously going to read this to me… are you?" Roxas's eyes widened at her in disbelief and horror.

"Aw come on!" She pouted at him cutely. "Every kid has had the experience of listening to this story! You've never read it have you?"

"No… But I'm not a kid."

"But you need to hear it! It'll be interesting, I promise!"

He let out a long defeated sigh, and laid his head back on the pillow. "Fine. I'm bored anyway."

"Yay!" She exclaimed happily, and then started reading him the story…

She never got to finish it though. Shortly after, Ansem walked in on them and ordered her out…

**End of Flashback**

_Why am I remembering this now? _He glanced sideways at Olette's letter placed neatly on the table next to his bed. Hayner had purposely left it there yesterday.

He smiled and walks out toward the balcony. He gazed up at the night sky and let out a heavy sigh. _Guys… I'm sorry. I was so blind…_

_Meanwhile, with King Kaito and the others at the lake…_

"We should hurry or we will miss the lunch meal," Ansem reminded them suddenly. "Her Majesty does not like to be left waiting."

Kaito turned to the older man slightly and sighed. "Anything but that woman's wrath…" He stopped and blinked incredulously when he noticed that Sora had disappeared. He looked around them angrily. "Where in the world did that young man go?"

Ansem smiled weakly while Naminé bit down a giggle. "Brat does that often; do not feel offended Your Majes—"

"When I see that man again I will have him chained!" Kaito exclaimed angrily.

Xander doubled over in laughter. "The audacity of that prince! To do that to _you_…" He grinned wickedly to Naminé. "I believe I like your future brother-in-law even more now."

Naminé's smile faltered. She looked up at the direction he was standing at just a while ago and let out a heavy sigh.

Her father noticed her longing sigh and turned to her with an awed look on his face. _Could it be history repeating itself? _He laughed mentally. _If only you were here to see this Rufus…_

After making sure that Naminé and Xander were out of earshot, walking ahead of them while on their way back to the castle, King Kaito turned to Ansem next to him seriously.

"Does a maid by the name of Mina still work here?"

Ansem was taken off-guard by the question, but then he quickly hid that, answering as calmly as possible, "Mina? No, I believe not. That name does not ring a bell."

"Is that so?" Kaito narrowed his eyes at Ansem suspiciously, aware that he was hiding decided to let it go for now. He would investigate himself when they get back to the castle.

Ansem was broodingly silent after that. He didn't like to lie but he knew that Queen Elena would be furious with him if he revealed anything to King Kaito.

Later, standing by himself in the empty hallway after the lunch meal, Ansem recalled Sora's mother…

**Flashback**

Mina was leaving. She was madly packing her stuff in her room in the castle basement – where all the other servants' rooms were. The Queen had known about Rufus's obvious feelings for the beautiful maid for a while now. And since then, she was making Mina's life hell. Today, however, was different. She had ordered her to leave the castle once and for all.

When Ansem accidentally slipped and told Rufus about it, he was furious and marched down to Mina's room himself. Ansem followed him, hoping to change his mind. But Rufus was hopelessly in love with the woman. The older man knew nothing he'd say would change Rufus's mind, but he had to try anyway. His king had always been a reasonable man. Surely he'd come around eventually.

Ansem stood outside Mina's door under Rufus's instruction. But he couldn't help but notice that in his haste, his king forgot to completely close the door. It was slightly open, so he took a peek inside…

Rufus had grabbed Mina's arm. She was struggling, trying to shove his hand off. "Let me of go Your Majesty! I'm leaving by my own free will! I can't stand it here with you continually harassing me!"

"Harassing you…?" Rufus looked angry and hurt. He scowled darkly and shook her from her arm. "I love you, you fool woman! How many times must I repeat it for you to actually believe me?"

She gasped. "How dare you say that! You're a married man!"

"Enough with making the same excuses!" He snapped angrily, and then softly, with a pleading look in his eyes, he added, "You love me. I know you do. Mina…" He started pulling her toward him.

She gasped again. "Your Majesty!" She struggled, desperately trying to pull herself away form him.

"Tell me you love me."

"Your Majesty!"

"Damnit Mina! I order you to call me by my name!"

"Never!"

"You don't have to keep pretending anymore… I _know_ you feel the same!"

She exhaled exasperatedly. "For how long do you intend to believe your own delusions? I do not love you and I never will! You're a friend to me and nothing more!"

Rufus chuckled dryly. "First I was a brother and now I'm friend? You tell me Mina, for how long do you want to keep playing this game?"

"I don't know what you're talking about! Let go of me!" She gasped again when he caught her between his arms and force kissed her passionately. She struggled at first; continually punching his chest, but then she melted in his arms and started kissing him back with equal passion. He smiled between their lips, his body shuddering in bliss.

"I love you," she whimpered against his lips, tears streaming down her face. "I love you Rufus…"

"I know you do," he whispered back, and then gently carried her to her bed and laid her down.

Ansem flushed and quickly turned away to leave. He could have stopped Rufus's mistake then, but he didn't.

After that fateful day, Rufus and Mina kept their relationship secret. Only Ansem knew about it. Out of love and loyalty for his king, he didn't say anything to Queen Elena… he didn't tell her that Sora's existence was partially his fault…

**End of flashback**

Later that evening, in front of the Sephiroth's family estate…

Tidus helped Kairi descend from the carriage.

"This place gives me the shivers," Tidus remarked after helping the Princess down. "Especially at night."

"What business do you have here Princess?" Wakka asked curiously.

"You won't take very long will you?" Tidus questioned hopefully, earning a weary glance from Wakka.

"You're a pussy ya?"

"Shut up!"

Kairi looked up at the Sephiroth family's Mansion quietly. It was dark, dreary and the garden is terribly neglected. _Riku's place is as creepy as ever…_

"Who's place is this?" A voice asked next to them. They turned swiftly, startled, only to find none other than Princess Yuffie standing there, admiring the mansion.

"Princess Yuffie? What are you doing here?" Tidus blinked at the black-head in surprise.

"Oh just call me 'Yuffie'," Yuffie grinned. "I was looking out the balcony of my room; bored out of my mind, that's when I spotted you guys sneaking out to the stables. So I stalked you."

"On foot?" Wakka's eyes widened in disbelief.

"No, I borrowed one of your horses," she explained 'innocently' with a mischievous grin. "I have keen observation skills you see," she told them proudly. "I _knew_ you guys were up to something and that got me interested. So here I am!" She looked at Kairi. "So. Whatcha up to?"

"I'm visiting a friend's ball," the red-head replied. "I was going to go with Sora but he said that he was tired and wouldn't leave his bed," she pouted. "He is such a lazy bum sometimes!"

"That's your friend's house then?" Yuffie pointed at the Mansion. "Spooky."

"Aren't you here for the ball too?" Kairi asked curiously.

"I didn't know there was even one!" The black-head chuckled. "So who's ball is this? Owner of Spooky Mansion? Why does it feel like we're the only ones attending it?"

"That's because we're kind of… late," Kairi admitted sheepishly, and then grumbled to herself, "It's all Sora's fault…"

"Late?" Yuffie gasped. Come on let's hurry in then!" She took Kairi's hand and dragged her along inside, leaving Tidus and Wakka behind.

"Weird Princess…" Wakka remarked to his partner.

"What'd you expect? She's from Wutai," Tidus replied. "I hear women there are either so manly you can't tell them and true men apart or like her… weirdos."

"How dare you insult the Princess…" A deep, mysterious voice uttered behind them.

They tensed, sweating nervously as they turned around to face its source. They found Vincent glaring at them with his red eyes glowing menacingly in the dark.

"AAAAAAAAH! GHOST!"

Yuffie rolled her eyes in the distance after hearing their scream. "Your guards are pussies."

Kairi sweat-dropped, grinning weakly. "Listen, um, Yuffie… you're not exactly… invited… are you?"

"It's okay! I'm sure they'll let me in once you tell them I'm your friend!" Yuffie replied casually.

Kairi sighed. "But you don't know Riku's dad he's—"

Yuffie stopped suddenly and let go of Naminé's hand, her eyes wide. "Riku? Did you just say Riku? As in, prince Sora's best friend?"

Kairi pouted jealously at the way her eyes lit up while mentioning Sora. "Yes," she paused and blinked at Yuffie curiously then. "Are you acquainted with my friend Riku?"

"Acquainted?" Yuffie chuckled. "He's my friend!" She started dragging Kairi more enthusiastically now. "Come on let's go see'im! I can't wait to see his Spooky Mansion from the inside!"

_Inside the Mansion…_

"How disappointing. It's not spooky, it's completely normal on the inside," Yuffie pouted while standing and observing the place and the crowd near the entrance. "Everybody's normal in it too."

Kairi sweat-dropped again beside her. "What did you expect?"

_Later, after the guests gathered for the dinner meal…_

Yuffie finally noticed Riku sitting on the other side of the table. She quickly took her plate with her and hurried to take the vacant seat next to him.

"Hiya!" She grinned at him with a mouthful casually.

Riku glared at her in both disgust and annoyance, and then decided to ignore her. He calmly turned back to his soup.

"Are you mad at me?" She asked in a small, adorable voice.

"…"

"I'm lonely..."

"Not my problem. What are you doing here anyway? You weren't invited."

"I was bored…"

"Leave me the hell alone."

"I've got no one to hang out with."

"Talk to Kairi. You came with her didn't you?"

"Oh I don't like her. She's my rival remember? Every time I see her I feel like pinning her on a wall with my shuriken," she told him innocently. "She irritates me."

Riku dropped his spoon and looked at her exasperatedly. "Why me? Don't you have anyone else to annoy?"

"Because I like you," she told him simply with a friendly smile. "And because I don't know anyone else in this kingdom..."

Riku studied her hard expressionlessly before turning back to his meal. "You are too much like him…" He found himself saying out loud unconsciously.

"Like Sora?" She grinned at him from ear-to-ear knowingly. "Aww… you really like'im don't you?" Then innocently and casually she asked, "Are you gay?"

Riku almost choked on his soup. "I'm not!"

"Oh okay. Just checking!" She giggled.

Riku noticed some gentlemen and women around them snickering and looking his way. He frowned in annoyance.

"Ooh! I know a fun game we can play!" Yuffie looked up from her meal suddenly again.

"I'm not playing any game with you. Stop pestering me!" He hissed at her.

"It's fun I swear! I used to play it with my brothers back in my Wutai! We watch other people at the dinner table and make fun of them! Look! That guy with the long silver hair! I saw him before back at the castle! He looks _sooo_ girly! I even thought that he's a girl when I first looked at him! I bet he's gay! Ha ha!"

"…" Riku turned his head to stare at her blankly. "That's my old man," he deadpanned.

Yuffie froze. "Oh….." She giggled nervously and then silently turned back to her meal. _Awkward_…

_Later around midnight, inside Riku's room…_

Yuffie was looking around the mansion for Riku again. She finally found him inside his room, talking with Kairi. She stopped by the open door and watched them curiously as they argued.

"Whatever concerns Sora and you, concerns me too," Kairi told him calmly. "Why are you two still not talking to each other? I can't bear to see both of you in so much pain! Tell me what happened between you two!"

Riku snorted abruptly and then turned away from her to face the window, giving her his back.

A long and tense silence followed.

Just before Kairi was about to speak again, however, Riku beat her to it instead. And he surprised Yuffie with his unexpected soft tone when he said, "Kairi…If you really care about Sora… then stay out of this and don't try to interfere. For Sora's sake."

Kairi gazed at his back worriedly for a while. "Riku," she began pleading softly. "Don't shut us out like this…" She took a step forward. "We're your friends."

"Hmph…" Riku slowly began turning away from the window and facing her again, his infamous cold smirk on. "Is that all Kai? I'm getting kinda bored here."

The red-head bit her lower lip to keep herself from crying, hurt. She turned and ran out of the room. She didn't notice Yuffie standing by the door, but Riku did.

"You're still there," he stated in a bored manner, frowning.

Yuffie glared at Riku angrily. "Hey you jerk, did you forget who I am? I'm Yuffie Kisaragi, Princess of Wutai!"

He raised an eyebrow at her tediously. "So?"

"Whoever your associates were, y'know, the assassins you hired to kill King Roxas, I can dig'em up and make them talk! It won't be a problem for me!"

Riku's eyes widened alarmingly, his arms fell slowly by his side in shock. "You… You look like you know more than you should."

"Stop being a meanie or I'll tell on you, y'hear me?" She threatened him with a childish pout. "I'm worried about princess Kairi. Seriously. Damn you for making me feel sorry for her!"

Riku's eye twitched impatiently and irritatedly at her. "Hey, are you listening? Maybe you should start worrying about the guy in front of you who's helped plot to murder the King of this Kingdom!" He told her sarcastically.

She ruffled her hair frustratedly. "Gaah! Life is such a drama! There's so much to think about…" She stared at him abruptly in shock. "I didn't know—"

He smirked coldly. "That my problem with Sora is a little bit more complicated than you thought? Yeah…" He rolled his eyes sarcastically.

"No, that isn't what I meant… What I was trying to say is… I didn't know that you only helped… I thought that _you_ were the mastermind behind it!"

Riku was taken-aback. He stared at her, perplexed.

Yuffie wiped her forehead in relief. "Phew! This makes things easier!" She smiled suddenly, making Riku even more confused and shocked than he already was. "I didn't give them the evidence they're looking for yet though, but still… after much interrogating… which your Kingdom is very good at might I add… they'll get to me and I'd have to talk then. I can't keep my mouth shut about this forever!"

"…"

"What you're doing is wrong though, I'm not saying it's right! I just…" She shrugged simply. "Decided to wait a little…" She ran a hand through her hair sheepishly. "I thought I could save you… 'Cause you know! I like helping people!" She giggled nervously at the floor.

"Save me?" He snorted, and then laughed out loud bitterly. "You and Sora are both idiots! You come here; say things you should think twice about saying and expect to what? _Save_ me?" He scoffed. "You freak…" And then angrily he exclaimed, "You don't _know_ me!"

"But I believe in you!" She told him confidently, taking a step forward.

"Argh! Stop it! Stop talking like you know me at all!" Riku exclaimed angrily. "Coming here and confessing that you can get the evidence that will incriminate us… do you know what that means? Do you have any idea what I have to do now?"

She was taken-aback. "Eh?"

"I have to kill you alright! I have to silence you once and for all! Just like when we first met! I was supposed to get rid of you then! Does that still make us friends?" He exclaimed sarcastically.

_Silence_. Riku let out a heavy sigh to calm himself down.

"But you didn't," he heard her tell him calmly, and he froze.

He looked up abruptly and snapped at her, "Only because you had that— that creepy ambassador guy come along with you! I couldn't while he was watching us the entire time!"

"No…" She told him calmly, shaking her head. "You couldn't. I saw it in your eyes."

"What?" Riku said breathlessly in confusion. Then his eyes widened in realization. "You _knew_? You knew I was going to kill you?"

"Yeah. All along," she told him casually. "The way you've been watching me… it's like a predator analyzing its prey. I knew it, that's why I asked you for a walk. So you could have a chance to do it while we're alone. I planned for it to be just you and me, but Vincent insisted to be part of it," she shrugged. "I gave you a chance, but you didn't…"

"Like I was saying—it's your ambassador, the Vincent guy!"

"No. I saw it. You hesitated. You couldn't do it. That's how I know, there's some good in you. The truth is…" She grinned sheepishly at her feet. "I was plotting to kill you too! I couldn't stand it… People using our assassins for bad purposes, tarnishing our Wutai's name… So I was going to kill you. But I did this little test first because…"

"You only kill bad people," Riku completed for her quietly, awed.

"Yeah," she smiled. "Exactly. I found out there's hope for you yet. So, like Sora, I didn't want to see you fall either."

"…"

"I believe in the little goodness you carefully bottle up inside you, Riku," she grinned. "That's why I'll wait a bit longer… and I won't give up or lose in trying to save you! Just like Sora!"

Suddenly, Riku's mouth curled up into a smile. "Idiot…Thought you could kill me?"

"Hey what's that supposed to mean sexist?" She pouted cutely.

He smirked and looked away at the window, gazing up at the midnight moon silently. "Sorry, but I can't stop…You can't 'save' me." He told her softly. "You see, it's not just my will to help my family restore its honor. Actually, it has nothing to do with it…"

Yuffie blinked at him curiously, waiting for him to continue.

"It's Roxas." Riku's expression darkened. "I have to kill him."

"Why?" Yuffie questioned quietly.

Silence.

Riku sighed suddenly and then started explaining to her, "A long time ago…My old man wanted to me to be a spy for our family. He made sure that Ansem introduced me to Roxas and Sora, and he instructed me to get especially close to Sora." He shrugged his shoulders slightly. "I didn't care or know all of it. I just did what my old man would say. Although…" He paused for a while, and then his tone becamea bit softer, "I really did become friends with Sora. I enjoyed every minute with him… Every day was exciting when we'd hang out together. We'd do things normal princes wouldn't do… play outside till its dark and my servants would come and search for me…" He smiled a bit to himself bitterly. "I didn't know everything about him then. I didn't know that the Queen wasn't his real mother and that his real mother's a maid. Or that they'd paid her and he was taken away to the castle by force. But then one day… While Sora and I were playing outside in the Castle's garden…"

**Flashback**

Seven years old Sora and Riku were playing with their fake wooden swords in Twilight Castle's garden.

"Ha! I beat you again!" Riku smirked triumphantly down at Sora while tossing his sword coolly over his shoulder.

Sora dusted himself, pouting as he stood up on his feet. "Whatever! I will beat you next time!" He grinned at Riku excitedly. "I've been training on this super awesome cool move that'll totally kick your butt! I showed it to my dad and he loved it!"

Riku raised an eyebrow, not believing him about the last part. "Really?"

"Wellll…" Sora scratched his bushy head sheepishly.

"'Cause I've seen him during our practice lessons and he was only watching how your brother was doing," Riku rolled his eyes. "And your bro sucks. I can beat him even easier than I beat you."

"Hey!" Sora pouted childishly. "I can so beat you! Just wait for it! I'll get stronger!"

"I thought you said you hate sword fighting," Riku said curiously.

"Yeah," Sora replied sheepishly. "But I only love it with you!" He added innocently, grinning idiotically from ear to ear.

"Are you sure you're not trying to get better than me to impress _Kairi_?" Riku said slyly, smirking.

Sora immediately blushed. "No!"

"No?"

"I mean yeah I'm not!" Sora blushed deeper.

"You so like her."

"I don't!"

"You do."

"I don't!"

"You do."

"I do!"

"Ha! Idiot!" Riku laughed at him as he blushed even deeper, if possible.

Later at the afternoon, they started walking back to the castle for the lunch time. As they were walking, chatting about their imaginary world and the monsters in it they had to destroy together, a squirrel ran in front them that caught Sora's attention.

"Look! A squirrel!" Sora pointed excitedly at the tiny animal crawling up the tree.

"Let's catch it!" Riku exclaimed with equal excitement.

They started climbing up the tree, with Riku in the lead. He finally reached the squirrel's nest and looked inside. "It has babies!" Riku exclaimed to Sora enthusiastically. "They're so cute!"

"I wanna seeee!" Sora whined up at the silver-head.

"Forget the mom; let's take one of the babies!" Riku said, reaching to grab one of them. The squirrel's mother escaped the nest, scared, and then climbed up to a higher branch, watching Riku infiltrating her nest frantically.

Sora's eyes left his friend to watch the mother squirrel instead silently.

"I caught one!" Riku exclaimed victoriously. "Hurry, climb down!" He yelled down at Sora, who finally snapped out of his daze.

They climbed down and Riku let Sora see the tiny squirrel squirming in his grip.

"It's so CUTE!" Sora exclaimed in awe, blinking at it closely with his curious blue eyes wide open.

"Yeah, let's take it!" Riku told him casually, starting to move.

"NO!" Sora yelled abruptly, startling Riku and stopping him dead on his tracks. The brunette quickly hurried toward his friend, took the baby squirrel from his hands and rushed back toward the tree where its nest was.

"What's wrong with you?" Riku said irriratedly, frowning at Sora in annoyance.

"D-Don't take it from its mom…" Sora mumbled quietly while staring down at the squirrel in the most agonized expression Riku had ever seen.

_I still remember his face, the way I gazed at him for the longest moment. The sadness emanating from him mesmerized me. I wanted to know badly the secret behind it… But it was only later though when I found out why he'd acted this way… and it was then that I hated Roxas more than I already did. He used to give Sora a hard time when he first came to the castle, and then suddenly he and Sora became close. I didn't like it. I was supposed to be his closest friend, his brother figure… How can someone who's only treated Sora badly take my place? But I didn't tell Sora anything about it. That I was jealous and envious of Roxas. And when I discovered the truth about Sora… when I saw with my own eyes how he's being treated by everyone around him… My hatred for Roxas only intensified... It was when Sora got caught helping Roxas sneak out of the castle, so he could show him his secret place in the forest…**Our **secret place…_

Little Riku and Kairi and the entire castle had heard about little Roxas's disappearance, and later, when he'd been found by the guards with Sora near the edges of the forest, everyone was furious with Sora for suggesting the idea to Roxas and putting the Kingdom's heir to risk. The Queen had even come back momentarily just to check on her son.

Meanwhile, Riku and Kairi sneaked upstairs and were eavesdropping behind the King's office door, curious to listen to the scolding their friend's inevitably going to get.

_Inside the King's office…_

"You little—" The Queen slapped Sora across his face in a fit of rage as soon as he'd been brought inside the office by the guards.

"Elena…" The King sighed behind his desk tiredly, his shoulder slumped in misery.

"Have you any idea how worried sick you made me? I came all the way here from my castle; my heart was ripping itself apart with worry during the whole ride! The heir to the throne wandering around without any protection? Unforgiveable! You should punish him, Rufus!" Elena glared down at the brunette hatefully.

"But we're okay…" Sora mumbled innocently.

"Of course you're okay!" The Queen snapped. "You're the son of a filthy commoner – a _maid_! You're meant for the life out there!"

The King sighed again wearily while burying his face in his hands.

"But my son! He can't survive out there! He could have gotten in danger! He could have gotten hurt! You almost killed the future King of this Kingdom! Its only hope!"

Sora was looking down guiltily. "Sorry…" He mumbled quietly at the floor with a childish pout. "I just wanted to play… He looked so bored; all you do is make him study!"

She glared at him menacingly. "You will never spend time with my son again! Is that clear?"

"Fine, fine…"

"Sora. Be good and listen to Elena," the King told him while looking up to glare at him sternly.

"Fiine…" Sora mumbled a bit louder, throwing his arms behind his head casually.

"Don't ever associate yourself with your brother again. Go about doing what you wish, but don't drag Roxas along with you. Understand?" The King ordered his son strictly.

Sora nodded, shrugging casually.

Meanwhile, outside, Riku and Kairi looked at each other dumbfoundedly, utterly astonished over the discoveries they'd just made…

**End of flashback**

"…Everything started to make sense. Kairi and I decided to keep our mouths shut about this. Because we understood the gravities of the situation. And then when I asked my old man about it, I gained complete knowledge of the whole story… and his plan to eliminate Roxas. And I was more than eager to help my old man this time…"

"…" Yuffie was listening intently with a sad frown.

"Because Sora is kind," Riku continued. "_Too_ kind. He will accept his fate, whatever they throw at him, if it meant Roxas will be happy with him. More than anything, he cares about his family members acknowledging him." His expression became grim. "Someone had to do the dirty work; someone had to help Sora get the place that is rightfully _his_. To get Roxas out of the picture. To make the Queen and everyone else bow in humiliation before the true King that she's always been treating like trash!" His expression became dark. "So I decided that it'd be me. Even if Sora would hate me for it, even if it becomes difficult and I know will likely lead to me and my family's downfall… I don't care. I've long resolved myself to this…Sora will get the place and respect he deserves, and be with whoever he wants… just as long as I remove the hindrance that is Roxas!"

Silence.

"What about us? What about Kairi and the rest of your friends?" Yuffie asked quietly.

"They won't understand why I'm doing this, but I don't care. They might understand later on."

"Riku…" Yuffie stared at the silver-head sympathetically. "You really are a good person, like my eyes told me. But, King Roxas is not guilty of all that's happened to Sora—"

"You haven't even met him!" He snapped angrily. "The Queen told everyone he was the older son when it was in fact Sora! Sora is the true and rightful heir for the throne!"

"Did he know that he wasn't the elder one?"

"No," Riku replied quietly.

"Then it's not his fault, it's his mom's!"

"Whatever, he is still an obstacle to Sora and I have to get rid of him!" Riku exclaimed stubbornly. "If I take him out, then his rotten mother might finally know the pain of losing a family member!"

Yuffie sighed. "Riku… You don't have to throw yourself away…That'll only make Sora even sadder…"

"That's why I want him to hate me. So if something happens… he won't feel sorry for me," he muttered quietly.

Yuffie's eyes widened in horror at the thought. "Riku! Can't you see that your dad is manipulating you?"

"I know," Riku replied calmly, looking back at the window. "He's dedicated all our lives to this plan."

"What is he after?"

"Power," Riku explained. "Restoring our family's place in the social ladder. The late King Rufus – Sora's and Roxas' father – was supposed to marry my old man's sister instead of Queen Elena."

"Then what happened?" Yuffie asked curiously.

"Our family was involved in a scandal. One of our ancestors committed murder against the Hikari Kingdom's late Prince. Princess Naminé's great grandfather. Soon after recalling it – the Twilight Kingdom called off the engagement to my aunt and later made him marry Queen Elena instead. Obviously this caused our family great disgrace. It was our only chance to truly redeem ourselves and gain rulership over the land." Riku shrugged. "My family's rotten. It has a history of murders, bribes, blackmails, thefts…you name it. I hate them, all of them."

"Then why are you helping them?"

"You know why," Riku told her coldly. "I have my own reasons."

She frowned sadly. "Sora means that much to you?" She whispered.

"With a family as dark and cold as mine…" Riku said quietly. "Sora and Kairi are the only hope I have." Then slowly he turned to face Yuffie coldly. "And now that you understand everything, you will know better to stay out of it."

"I can't," Yuffie said stubbornly. "It's wrong, you're trying to kill an innocent person, and I can't allow that to happen!"

"If you get in the way then you _know_ what I'll have to do…" Riku trailed off warningly, and then without another word left the room.

_Later, back in the Twilight Kingdom…_

Princess Yuffie was sitting on tree branch in the royal garden, thinking deeply to herself.

Vincent appeared suddenly by her side. "Don't let it bother you," he told his Princess quietly.

"…"

"Lord Riku isn't your problem."

"Yes it is!" Yuffie retorted, turning to him swiftly. "The reason they brought me here in the first place is because they want me to help them bring the people responsible for the assassination attempt on their King to justice."

"That's exactly right. You aren't supposed to save him. You're supposed to bring him to justice."

"No!" Yuffie shook her head stubbornly. "I refuse to give up! Helping good people has always been my cause, my reason for living!" She looked down at her lap and added quietly, "If I don't… then I'd be letting go of everything I believe in…"

"…."

"I _will_ save him," Yuffie said firmly with a determined expression. "I won't let him go down with his family, he's a good person! I know it!"

"Murder can't be justified," Vincent reminded her calmly.

"I know… but his reason was pure!"

Vincent noddeed silently – he knew that there was no changing his princess's mind when she had her mind set on something – and then disappeared, leaving her to think alone.

_A couple of days had passed after that… only three days before Roxas's and Naminé's wedding…_

That afternoon, Selphie was helping Naminé try on her wedding dress that just got here from the tailor after fixing. The brown-haired maid sat down beside the Hikari Princess on her bed, watching the depressed blonde sadly. "Princess…"

"I'm going to get married… and I still haven't gotten over him. I fear that I'll never get over him…" Tears streamed down Naminé's face. Selphie held her hand sympathetically, close to crying herself. "It hurts so much just thinking about how our future will be like…"

"Princess!" Selphie pulled the blonde into her arms, crying along with her. "You don't deserve this!"

_Meanwhile, King Kaito was sitting with Lord Marluxia around a table at one of the balconies…_

"Marluxia," Kaito turned to the pink-head suddenly. "I've asked around the castle about a maid called Mina that used to work here. Apparently, she doesn't work here anymore… have they told you anything about her?"

Marluxia looked alarmed. "Mina? Ah, yes… yes…" He looked away nervously as his king leaned in expectantly. "But I'm afraid I cannot tell you, Your Majesty, I've sworn to secrecy—"

"Shame on you!" Kaito scolded him angrily, pounding on the table. "I am your king and you dare hide information from me? Speak. _Now_!"

Marluxia gulped nervously, and then sighed in defeat. "Mina is…" He looked down at the table and then continued quietly, "She is Prince Sora's mother."

_So you did it after all Rufus,_ Kaito relaxed back on his seat, now certain of his conclusion. He laughed out loud. "I've seen her when I used to come here to visit Rufus. She was the clumsiest most mischievous maid and the only one who dared to talk back! Always smiling and laughing… such charming young woman. You can't help but be attracted to her peculiar ways!" And then he asked curiously, "Where is she now?"

"She was banished by the Queen. And Prince Sora was taken in instead, when he was just a child. That's all I've been told Your Majesty."

"Hmm…" Kaito nodded thoughtfully. "I wonder though why Elena told everyone that Sora was her son. Strange… She seems to despise the young man. What could be the reason behind that?" He wondered to himself out loud.

_Meanwhile, inside the Queen's room…_

Elena was being assisted by the servants with trying on her dress for Roxas's wedding.

Roxas came in as the servants were fixing minor details with her dress in front of the mirror.

"What do you think Roxas?" She asked her son quietly while looking at her reflection on the mirror.

He shook his head. "Sora is seriously sick… and yet all you think about is the wedding?"

"Sick is he?" She said apathetically while checking herself on the mirror. "What's wrong with him?"

"I don't know…" Roxas gazed down at the floor worriedly. "I brought the best doctor in the whole land, the one that used to take care of dad… and he said Sora's case is out of his hands. Apparently Sora's problem is more… emotional than physical. Just like… dad."

"No worries. I've already asked your friend Lord Axel to take his place as your best man instead," Elena told him calmly.

Roxas gaped at her in shock. "Mom. I told you. There won't _be_ a wedding."

"When you get married in three days… hopefully you'll come back to your senses."

"Mom!"

"Are you done? I'd like to try my other dress now."

Roxas exhaled frustratedly and angrily left the room. He kept walking around aimlessly in the castle hallways until he stumbled across Hayner and Pence, carrying their bags with them for some reason.

His eyes widened in surprise. "Where are you going?"

"Finally speaking to us are we?" Hayner said sarcastically while looking away, still angry with the blonde king.

Roxas looked down guiltily.

Pence sighed at Hayner. "Hayner… let it go. You know he doesn't have a choice."

"If you must know… _Your Majesty_…" Hayner glared at Roxas. "We're going to Spira. For our friend Olette. You still remember her right?"

"I'm going too."

Both of them dropped their bags in shock. "EH?"

"But we have find a way to sneak me out first," he told them seriously.

"A-A-Are you serious?" Pence exclaimed, wide-eyed.

"Of course I am," he smiled at the shocked faces of his friends.

"B-But what about your wedding?" Hayner asked.

"Olette's more important," he smiled at his two friends warmly. "Right?"

They grinned and put their arms on him. "Roxas is back! Hurray!" Pence cheered, and they laughed.

"I already have a plan formulating in my head! There's a secret passage Pence and I use to get to the town. We go through it and then take a carriage from there to Spira!" Hayner exclaimed excitedly.

"It'll be like an adventure!" Pence added just as excitedly. "Mission: Rescue Olette!"

Roxas laughed, shaking his head.

"You'll have to get out of these clothes though, or you'll attract attention!" Pence reminded them suddenly.

"No problem! I'll lend him some of mine!" Hayner grinned.

"Great," Roxas smiled. "You guys take care of all that. I'll meet you guys here after a while," he looked down seriously, his smile gone. "There's something I have to do first…"

_Sora's room…_

The brunette was lying on his bed, breathing with great difficulty and sweating, his eyes closed. He felt too weak to even open them.

Suddenly, he heard the door open and he wondered if it was Naminé. For the last couple of days, she'd always visited his room late at night to check on him while everybody was asleep. He pretended he was asleep too, just so he was worried she'd go away. Every day, she'd touch his forehead tenderly and sit by his bed for hours until dawn. He looked forward for every night just to feel her touch.

Now, he felt a hand gently holding his and squeezing it.

"Don't worry," he heard a familiar voice say softly. "Your brother is here."

Sora's eyes fluttered open weakly to see a blurry vision of his brother smiling down at him. "Rox…?"


	21. We Meet Again

**Chapter 21:**

_Sora's room…_

Sora was lying on his bed, breathing with great difficulty, his eyes closed. He felt too weak to even open them.

Suddenly, he heard the door open and he wondered if it was Naminé. For the last couple of days, she'd always visited his room at night to check on him while everybody was asleep. He pretended he was asleep too, just so she wouldn't go away. Every day, she'd touch his forehead tenderly and sit by his bed for hours until dawn. He looked forward for every night just to feel her touch.

Now, he felt a hand gently holding his and squeezing it.

"Don't worry," he heard a familiar voice say softly. "Your brother is here."

Sora's eyes fluttered open weakly to see a blurry vision of his brother smiling down at him. "Rox…?" He tried to sit up but he was too weak and Roxas had to steady him.

"Easy," the blonde said, pulling his brother back down gently and sitting on the floor beside his bed.

"What're…you doing… here?" Sora asked between heavy breaths. "Aren't you… supposed to… be getting ready for… your wedding?"

"While my brother is sick and can't get out of bed?" He smiled a little. "I'm not that cold."

"I'll be… fine," the brunette said with a shaky grin.

Roxas studied him with concern. "Does it hurt somewhere?"

He shook his head, smiling.

"Are you sure?"

The brunette nodded.

Roxas sighed, "Sora… stop it. Lying, pretending…" The blonde's expression softened. "You… you've always had it rough here haven't you? Despised and neglected… Even though you're more brilliant than I am, better than I could ever be, still, you were careful not to let anyone see that. What I could never understand was… why. You never let anyone see how you really feel. Nobody is always happy Sora. That's impossible."

"…" Sora silently turned his face away to stare at the ceiling, his smile gone.

Meanwhile, Naminé stood just outside Sora's door, hiding behind the wall when she'd noticed someone was already in there.

"Hey, remember that day, when my mom left and you held my hand," Roxas smiled and held his brother's hand again. "Just like this?"

Sora turned to him slightly; his eyes wide open in surprise. "You… remember?"

Roxas grinned. "Of course I do. Even though I didn't show it, but, that day… actually…" He looked down embarrassedly when he admitted, "You made me happy… knowing that I'm not all alone…I felt relieved inside."

"Bro…" Sora gasped, his eyes slowly filling with tears.

Roxas blinked at him in surprise for a few seconds, no one had ever seen Sora cry before, and then he laughed. "You're crying because you're happy? Do you function backwards or something?" The blonde smiled and added lightheartedly, "I'm glad though. Now I know for sure you're human after all. Olette will be relieved to hear this."

Sora laughed through his tears, raising an arm to his face to wipe them. A sound that warmed Naminé's heart. She smiled while holding her hands close to her heart, feeling truly glad for the brunette prince. _I'm glad…I'm so glad… _Happy tears fell down her cheeks.

"Now get up!" Roxas exclaimed suddenly, pulling Sora upright. "Don't dare give up so easily again."

"Yessir," Sora replied with a dorky grin.

"Good," Roxas smiled back, and then his expression became serious again. "You better get well soon. Everyone here needs you now. I'm… leaving for Spira."

Sora's eyes snapped wide open in shock. "Spira? …Why? Wh-What about… your wedding?"

He smiled sadly and shook his head. "It's over. I'm not getting married. Naminé and I aren't meant for each other…" The blonde shrugged. "And besides, an important friend needs my help there." He paused and continued sheepishly with his hand behind his head, "I'm sorry I'm leaving everything to you like this… but," his smile became somewhat teasing, "There are people here who care a great deal about you too. Give them a chance."

Sora grinned at his brother and nodded. "I'll get better in… no time… watch me!"

_Two days later, Morning, at the Castle's Library…_

"I can't believe it… Roxy actually did it… He ran away…" Axel muttered quietly under his breath in disbelief.

Naminé was sitting silently in one of the chairs in the background, calmly reading a book, but she was listening intently to their conversation.

"I don't believe it either…" Demyx mumbled next to him, equally shocked. "I thought Rox was happy her…"

"He had everything!" Larxene exclaimed loudly in bewilderment. "The throne, Naminé – who he's clearly in love with – and his mother is back… I don't understand this! Why would he escape? Ugh, what a spoiled brat!" She looked away in disgust, her arms crossed.

Selphie let out a small, sad sigh. "I just hope His Majesty's okay… He's never been out unguarded before… And with the assassination threat still out there…."

A grim silence followed. Demyx finally looked up and said, "Maybe it's because he _had_ everything he needed with him all along…Even before Princess Naminé came, or his mom returned back into his life…."

"What do you mean?" Kairi asked with confusion.

"He means that bitch, Olette," Larxene answered grudgingly.

Axel scoffed loudly all of a sudden. "Are you telling me he ran away, abandoned his _friends_, his fucking responsibilities as _King_…just to go after _Olette_? Roxy wouldn't do something stupid like that! It's his wedding Goddamnit! Why would he ditch Princess Naminé for that bookworm?"

"Easy Ax… Calm down man..." Demyx mumbled nervously next to him. "Sh-Shouldn't we help search for Roxas? Maybe he didn't go very far… we can find him… Even if he wants to go to Omlette all the way to Spira, he can't because he doesn't know the way… He'll probably get lost before even leaving Twilight…"

"Wow Demyx. Didn't know you were smart enough to make smart conclusions," Larxene said sarcastically, smirking.

"What's happened?" Someone asked suddenly behind them.

They turned around to find Xander.

"You don't know?" Axel raised an eyebrow.

Xander stopped and blinked at him confusedly. "Know what?"

"Roxas is gone," Kairi replied quietly.

Xander looked shocked. "What?" He exclaimed and then quickly looked over to Naminé sitting behind the table. "Roxas is missing?"

"Yeah," Selphie answered with a sigh. "He left a note saying he's running away… we still haven't found him. It looks like he somehow managed to escape the castle's perimeters. I don't know how he could have pulled _that _off…"

"That good for nothing…" Xander shook his head, his fist shaking by his side, furious.

Axel changed the subject when he suddenly remembered something, "By the way, did you guys hear the latest rumors going around?"

"Rumors are just rumors… who cares?" Kairi rolled her eyes.

"Ooh but this one's big!" Axel's smirk stretched wickedly.

Everyone turned to him, interested.

"It's about Sora's mom. His _real_ mom…" Axel revealed solemnly. "She was one of the maids working here, a tramp who slept with the King and got pregnant with him."

Their eyes widened in shock. This was news to them. Naminé gasped and abruptly looked up from her book while Kairi shifted uncomfortably, looking away.

"It's me, Axel! I know everything's going on around here!" He exclaimed. "Ever since he won the tournament… It got me wonderin' why the Queen would purposely cast a shadow over his existence… I mean, there was barely anyone who knew that the King had another son! Even though he was obviously of great help to building her reputation when he beat the Duchess' son… that Vaan guy…"

"Is this true? Sora's the son of a _maid_?" Larxene's eyes widened interestedly. "Ew. Disgusting."

"I thought…" Axel continued, "Why would a mother do this to her own child? Easy. Because he _wasn't_ her child."

"How did you know?" Xander asked quietly.

"I had my suspicions…" Axel shrugged. "But it was Riku who clarified the truth for me."

_So it was him spreading the rumors… I should have known…_ Naminé frowned sadly.

"_He's_ supposed to be the older brother." Axel added, making everyone gasp.

"_He's_ supposed to be the King?" Xander exclaimed in shock.

"The inheritor of the throne," Axel nodded. "He probably thought that it's his right that Roxas stole away from him and—"

"Enough!" Naminé exclaimed angrily all of a sudden. She put the book down and stood up. "Please… That's enough…"

Xander turned to her curiously, surprised.

Axel went on nonetheless, shrugging, "It's the truth, Princess…The reason why he acts like an idiot and pretends that he doesn't care is because he _still_ hasn't accepted his life here. Riku said… that the reason behind his continuous absences is not just because he likes to 'loaf around'. The real reason is… he was trying to get his old life back. But he has to face the truth sooner or later... His real mother's no good. She left him. Worse, she _sold_ him to them. Then she just took the money and left. I bet she doesn't even remember who he is now."

"This is so sad…" Selphie sniffed again at the same time.

"Poor Sora…" Demyx looked down with a frown.

Larxene rolled her eyes at him. "Oh please. Stop acting like such a sissy…"

"Guys… this isn't the time for this, "Kairi interrupted suddenly. "Right now our main concern is Roxas. We need to find him and bring him back. He's not safe out there."

_The Next Day, in the Kingdom of Spira, Roxas had just entered the front hall of their Castle…_

_Weird… I thought they wouldn't allow me in, _thought a puzzled Roxas while looking around him in the middle of the hall._ I hope Hayner and Pence are doing alright… _

He'd come with Hayner and Pence, but for some reason, the female guards outside only allowed him entry and his friends were kicked out.

"Damn you Roxas," Hayner had cursed, pouting and crossing his arms in front of him jealously. "Why are you so good looking…"

The Spira Kingdom had always been known for its female dominance. It was the only place with female knights, and most of the guards and people working in the castle were female. Roxas looked around at them in awe. Almost all of them were pretty, too.

Suddenly, a bald and extremely thin man appeared in front of him. He was the first male he'd met here so far.

"Are you one of the princes participating in the event?" The man asked in a funny, high-pitched voice.

Roxas was silent for a while, confused. "Um…Yeah?" He decided to say, thinking that'd keep him in.

The man stared him up and down. "You look a little dirty…but no matter, I've seen all kinds of princes come lately!" He rolled his eyes and turned around to show him the way. "Follow me; I'll take you to the arena."

Roxas hesitantly followed him.

"By the way, what is your name? Where are you from?"

"Um… I'm…" He thought it was better to lie, just to be safe. "Prince Luke. From the, uhm, Traverse Kingdom."

"The Traverse Kingdom you say? I know that place… but I didn't know that they had a Prince by that name…" He shrugged. "No matter, no matter… The matches are about to start, we have got to hurry!" He said dismissively and silently led him all the way to the arena.

_Spira Castle, the Arena…_

The place was packed with people, commoners, noble men and women alike. Other princes like him were all lined up in the middle of the arena, bowing before the King of Spira, sitting in a throne on a stand surrounded by high-standing members of their council.

"Line up with the rest, I'm going to add your name to the participants list," the thin man instructed him before disappearing and leaving Roxas standing alone behind the princes, utterly confused.

Suddenly, something the announcer standing beneath the King's throne said caught Roxas' attention, "…And only the winner of this tournament will be worthy to wed His Majesty's beautiful, long-lost and finally found granddaughter – the beautiful Princess Olette!"

Everyone cheered; the princes in front of Roxas looked up at a certain figure sitting on a smaller throne beside the King's and bowed again. Except Roxas, who stood dumbstruck as he gazed at his long-time friend.

"Olette…" He gasped to himself while gaping up at her.

She looked breathtakingly gorgeous, sitting elegantly on her throne in a beautiful silky green dress, not in her usual casual attire that Roxas had gotten so used to seeing her wear.

She hadn't noticed him yet. She seemed not even remotely interested into what was going on. As if it was not her future that was being determined.

_Wait a minute…_ Roxas' eyes widened abruptly when he finally realized what he got himself into. _What am I doing?_

Suddenly the announcer revealed the board of which the tournment's matches were listed, and to his shock and misfortunate, he found 'Prince Luke from the Traverse Kingdom' on the first match.

"Prince Luke from the Traverse Kingdom and Lord Shark from the Wutai Kingdom! Let the match begin!"

A bell rang and the other princes suddenly started clearing the area, leaving Roxas and his opponent all alone.

The blonde froze when he noticed who his opponent was. Other than the unfortunate fact that he was from Wutai and therefore deadly, he was also a bulky, ten times bigger man with a shark tattoo on his bare muscled chest.

"…" Roxas could only stare speechlessly at his opponent. Then he looked up at Olette to see that she was looking away, completely disinterested without any idea who this 'Prince Luke' really was. He groaned and looked back at his opponent, considering forfeiting when…

"I'mma make the princess mine! Ye little sissy should quit if ye value yer life!" Shark laughed out loud mockingly at him.

That one remark completely kicked all thoughts of forfeiting from Roxas' mind. He immediately requested for a sword.

And then the match began…

_Meanwhile, up on the stand with the King of Spira and Olette…_

"Doesn't Prince Luke look familiar?" The King asked one of his advisors near him while watching the match.

"Of course Your Majesty Yuri, he is a Prince after all, you must have seen him somewhere," his advisor replied.

King Yuri then turned to Olette, "Sweet-pea, which one do you like? The handsome blonde or the scary, bald, hideous one with the enormous shark tattoo?"

"Gee, grandpa, you make it hard to choose," Olette replied sarcastically, still turned away from the match, looking absolutely bored. "You didn't have to make a tournament though. I hate fighting. It would have been much better if it was a contest of wits, in my opinion."

"Hmm…" Yuri thought to himself while playing with his white beard thoughtfully. Then he turned behind him and called for his thin bald advisor – the same one who'd greeted Roxas – "Harry! Cancel the tournament! My sweet-pea wants a battle of wits instead!"

'Harry' smiled nervously. "B-But Your Majesty…"

Olette turned quickly to glare at her grandfather. "Grandpa! You shouldn't cancel it, it has already started!" She scolded him.

"But sweet-pea… I just wanted to make you happy," Yuri said weakly, putting on the 'I'm an old and poor man' act to make his granddaughter sympathize with him. It worked every time.

Olette sighed softly. "I know Grandpa Yuri, and I'm very grateful…But there are things you can't do just because I said so."

Yuri nodded and then turned to his advisor again, "Larry!"

"Yes Your Majesty?"

"Forget what I just said!"

'Larry' sweat-dropped. "Sure Your Majesty…"

Meanwhile, Roxas was having a tough time with his savage, axe-wielding opponent. He stumbled backwards and fell on his backside after receiving a powerful strike from Shark's axe.

"HA HA HA! Ye can't beat me weakling!" Shark laughed out loud arrogantly, slowly and tauntingly moving to deliver a finishing blow on Roxas.

_Damnit! He's too strong! _Roxas cursed mentally, wincing while trying to get back up on his feet.

King Yuri tutted. "I don't like that Mark man. His arrogance is too much to bear."

His advisors sweat-dropped around him but said nothing, used to their King's weak memory when it came to names.

"Poor Prince Duke…He looks pitiful," Yuri murmured sympathetically. "His opponent seems serious. He might not make it out alive…"

This caught Olette's interest and she quickly turned her head to look at the match while saying, "I thought killing is not allow…" She trailed off quietly when she saw who 'Duke/Luke' really is.

"Roxas?" She exclaimed in astonishment while standing up abruptly, startling the people around her. Her heart throbbed wildly with excitement and delight at seeing her old childhood friend again.

Yuri was blinking curiously at his granddaughter.

Meanwhile, Shark was mocking Roxas, "Is that all ye got sissy?"

Roxas gritted his teeth, struggling to get back on his feet, but the journey that he'd had to take to get all the way to this kingdom without stopping had drained his energy, and he found himself falling back on his backside again in exhaustion.

"Ha! What a sissy!" Shark pulled up his axe, ready to deliver another blow on Roxas's head, who was too weak to defend himself from it this time.

Some of the audience started shouting panicky, "He'll kill him!"

"He'll chop his pretty head off!"

"Somebody stop him!"

The other half cheered Shark on, eager for a bloodbath.

As Shark was about to swing his axe down, Roxas closed his eyes quickly and expected to die. But nothing happened. Instead, he heard gasps and astonished murmurs coming from the audience and opened his eyes curiously to see what was going on.

Olette was standing in front of him, hands outstretched by her sides defending him.

"O-Olette?" Roxas gasped, wide-eyed in shock.

Shark lowered his axe immediately, staring dumbfoundedly at the Princess he was been so close to cut in two.

"That's enough!" She yelled at Shark, glaring at him angrily.

Suddenly, the guards started announcing to the people that the tournament had been called off and they were free to leave. The audience grumbled, eager to know what was happening, but under the pressure of the guards, they started to leave the arena.

King Yuri and his thin advisor came hurrying to them.

"Hmph!" Shark snorted to himself while picking up his axe. "Saved by a woman… yer a disgrace!" Then he spat on the ground and turned to leave.

King Yuri stopped when he reached them; his face was ashen with worry.

Olette turned to face her grandfather guiltily. "Grandpa, I acted on impulse I'm sorry—"

"Who is this young man?" He asked his advisor quietly while looking down at a confused Roxas.

"Prince Luke Your Majesty," his advisor answered patiently, sweat-dropping.

"Luke?" Olette rolled her eyes. Then she whirled around to glare at Roxas. "What are you doing here?" She demanded angrily.

"Sweat-pea!" Yuri's eyes gleamed. "Do you know this young man?"

"Of course I do!" Olette exclaimed back at Yuri. "And he's actually—"

"Aha! I see!" Her grandfather exclaimed dramatically all of a sudden. His eyes were sparkling like he'd just had an epiphany. "I was curious to know who this young man is and why my precious granddaughter is willing to sacrifice herself to save him! Now it's clear to me!"

"What exactly do you see Grandpa?" Olette sweat-dropped.

"I have come to a decision!" He turned to his side. "Gary!"

"Yes Your Majesty?" His advisor was immediately standing to Yuri's side.

"Prepare the wedding; these two are getting married now!"

"WHAT?" Olette's gawked at her grandfather while Roxas's jaw dropped in shock.

"B-But Your Majesty!" His advisor panicked. "How are we going to send the invitations in such short notice?"

"Then make it tonight!"

Olette and Roxas were gaping at him speechlessly.

"Your Majesty… that's still impossible…" His advisor sweat-dropped.

"First thing after sunrise!"

"Be more reasonable Your Majesty…" His advisor sweat-dropped again.

"Alright!" Yuri said sulkily. "Tomorrow afternoon it is! Send out the invitations now Jerry!"

His advisor sighed defeatedly, "R-Right away Your Majesty…"

"Wait! Don't go anywhere!" Olette yelled at the advisor while marching toward Yuri. "But Grandpa Yuri… he's engaged!" She glared at Roxas's direction. "And he's not supposed to be here!"

"Engaged…?" He played with his beard thoughtfully before turning to his advisor again. "Mory!"

His advisor quickly returned back again to his side without any complaint. "Yes Your Majesty?"

"Summon you-know-who and have him take care of this young man's fiancée," he whispered quietly to his advisor with a quick wink.

"…" Roxas could only stare at the whole thing in utter bewilderment.

"GRANDPA!" Olette scolded King Yuri frustratedly.

"I'm sorry Sweet-pea…" Yuri immediately apologized, and then he put on his poor-old-man act again and said weakly, "I just want to see my only granddaughter and heir to my throne be happy and get married… making sure that someone will be there to take care of her when my time comes… is that too much to ask for?"

Olette sighed. "I already agreed that I'd get married, but not him!" She added in a rush. "It can't be him!"

"B-But…You almost risked your life to save him, you must love him."

Olette blushed a bit, pouting. "H-He's an old friend of mine, that's all!"

"From Twilight?" Yuri questioned and then smileed. "I see… I must thank the young man for taking care of you all these years..."

Olette sighed, relieved. Roxas stared at her in annoyance, pouting.

"…by marrying you to him!"

"GRANDPAA!" She exploded.

Behind her, Roxas finally stood up and walked over toward them. "Um... First of all, I'm not engaged anymore. I broke off my engagement to Naminé."

"What?" Olette exclaimed in shock, whirling around to face Roxas.

"Perfect!" Yuri smiled with satisfaction at the same time.

"Second, I'm not here to be a candidate… I just happened to be dragged into all this…" Roxas sweat-dropped.

Yuri frowned instantly. "No backing out allowed!" He exclaimed before turning his head immediately to his side. "Sammy!"

'Sammy' appeared out of nowhere again. "Yes Your Majesty?"

"Add that to the rules list."

"Yes Your Majesty!"

"Oh and Andy…" Yuri quickly added. "Prepare a guest room for the young man."

"But Your Majesty… all the other princes have occupied them…we haven't got a room available!"

"Oh," then Yuri shrugged casually while saying, "Then just have him share a room with the servants."

"B-But he's a Prince…!" 'Andy' stammered nervously.

"Prince my butt!" Someone exclaimed behind them. They look behind to see Yuna, Rikku and Paine – the most trusted and highest-ranked female Knights in Spira– standing there.

"He's the King of Twilight milord!" Rikku added loudly while pouting and pointing an accusing finger at the young blonde.

Roxas sweat-dropped, troubled.

"Why are you here? Where are your guards?" Yuna asked suspiciously, looking around him.

"Why are you dressed so… commonly?" Paine looked at him in disgust.

Yuri gasped dramatically all of a sudden. "Ah! King Roxas!" He whirled around, took Roxas hands in his and started shaking it wildly. "Pleasure! My pleasure! I knew that I recognized you! Come!" He dragged Roxas away with him. "You have to join us for breakfast!"

"E-Er, your Majesty you mean lunch," his advisor mumbled while rushing after them. "It's the afternoon…"

Olette stomped after them angrily while complaining, "Grandpaaa! He has to go back to his Kingdom! He shouldn't be here! He should be married to his fiancée by now!"

"Wait! Milord!" Rikku exclaimed, running after them along with Yuna and Paine.

"What did we tell you about trusting people so quickly?" Yuna sweat-dropped.

But their words went into deaf ears…

Roxas collapsed suddenly while he was being dragged away. Olette turned to him frantically, wide-eyed.

"Are you alright Prince Duke?" Yuri asked worriedly.

"He is a King Your Majesty," His advisor reminded him quietly.

Roxas turned to smile at Olette's worried face reassuringly. "Don't worry…I'm fine… just a little exhausted from the journey…"

Olette frowned at him immediately, turning away in a huff to hide her blush. "Who's worried? I'm not worried. I knew you're fine!" With that, she stormed ahead of them toward the castle building..

"She was _soo_ worried," Rikku giggled, earning a nudge from Yuna. "Ow! What?" She pouted childishly at the brunette leader.

"She is our Princess, you should talk about her more respectfully," Yuna scolded.

"I think you ought to get washed and rested before you join us for dinner," King Yuri told Roxas suddenly.

"Lunch, Your Majesty," his advisor corrected for him again patiently.

"But… I need to speak to Olette first…" Roxas said weakly.

"As soon as you clean yourself and reenergize. Then you can tell us about the reason you are here." Yuri assured him with a kind smile. Then he turned to his advisor, "Randy! Take Prince Luke to one of the guest rooms and have him clean up and rest."

"But Your Majesty… none of the guest rooms is available…"

"Then throw out that Clark man and have Prince Duke take his room," Yuri shrugged simply – referring to Shark.

"Yes Your Majesty…" His advisor bowed and then turned to Roxas and motioned for him to follow.

Rikku exclaimed after them slyly, "Don't worry! _We_ won't hide Princess Olette from you!"

Roxas sweat-dropped to himself, _the people here are… unique._

"Uh, what's your King's story?" Roxas asked the advisor curiously.

"His Majesty is an old man…" The advisor told him regretfully. "He is becoming senile. But that won't stop us from serving him. Even if it becomes troublesome, I will gladly stand by his side and remind him each time!"

Roxas smiled. "He's very well-liked."

"Of course, King Yuri has the kindest heart. He never means it when he says horrible things, he is only joking… in his own twisted way."

"Uh-huh…" Roxas sweat-dropped, remembering when Yuri had asked for a hitman to get rid of his 'fiancée'.

_Meanwhile, outside Riku's mansion…_

Riku was just mounting his horse, getting ready to leave when Yuffie appeared out of nowhere in front of him ninja-style.

"What the hell do you want?" Riku glared at her in annoyance.

"I'm going with you to Spira," she exclaimed with a bright grin.

He looked surprised. "How did you know I was going to—"

"That's where your King is at right now isn't that right? Roxas… the one you're after."

"If you get in my way…" He glared at her threateningly.

She just smiled. The silver-head glared at her hard for a while, and then sighed and rode off. Suddenly, he found her riding on her horse by his side.

He didn't look surprised. "What are you, a ghost?"

"I'm a warrior from Wutai!" She exclaimed proudly, grinning at him.

"Is your creepy guardian with us?"

"No, he's gonna stay in Twilight, watching over the peace here." She paused and then asked him quietly, "The rumors about prince Sora… you started them, didn't you?"

"Rumors? Hmph… they're nothing but the truth," Riku said coldly. "And the world has to know it. It's part of my old man's plan."

"Why? What does he plan to achieve by it?"

"It's time," Riku replied quietly. "Roxas is going to die."

_Meanwhile, back at Spira's Castle…_

Squall, Tifa, Axel and Demyx, along with a few guards had come to retrieve Roxas. They noticed the huge number of people exiting the Castle's arena upon their arrival.

"What's going on?" Demyx questioned curiously.

"Maybe they had some sort of festival or something, who cares," Axel shrugged carelessly. "Let's go inside the castle."

Inside the castle building, the entrance hall, after they announced themselves and passed through the guards, they met Yuna, Rikku, Paine and King Yuri, who were oblivious to them, in the middle of the hall, busy discussing something with each other.

"…I am not going to change my mind! King Ronald is staying with us for as long as he wishes to!"

"Milord... His name's not Ronald, sheesh!" Rikku sighed, her shoulder slumping wearily.

Yuri frowned at her. "I have had it with your whining Miko—"

"It's Rikku!"

Yuna nudged her, silently gesturing for her to let it drop.

"…Honestly, you are just like a little child," Yuri shook his head. "But you are like my daughters, so I won't complain."

Paine noticed their guests approaching them and turned to face them warily. Then, alarmed, Yuna, Rikku and Yuri did the same too.

The female knights moved to shield their King, standing between him and the visitors.

"Who are you and what is your business here?" Paine asked sharply.

"Why hello there lovely ladies..." Axel beamed, smirking. "I'm Lord Axel from the Twilight Kingd—" He stretched his hand in front of him to greet them.

Tifa quickly shoved him back by the back of his neck though, smiling apologetically at the girls. "Sorry. He just can't control himself." She glared at him.

"Why did the guards let you in?" Yuna asked suspiciously.

"We are here on an urgent matter," Squall immediately stepped in. "Our King is missing and we're searching the land for him. We are highly expectant that we'll find him here."

The knights' eyes widened in realization. Then they swiftly turned away to whisper to each other.

"Just as we thought! They're looking for King Roxas!" Rikku hissed quietly. "What should we do?"

"They'll probably take him back. And you heard our King, he wants him here…" Paine muttered with a cool shrug.

"We have to lie to them?" Yuna gasped, not liking the idea.

"Well they didn't have any problem lying to us about Princess Olette, remember?" Rikku pouted. Then they nodded at each other and then turned back to face the impatient guests.

"Well? Is he here?" Tifa asked.

Suddenly, King Yuri pushed himself past Yuna, Rikku and Paine to meet the guests.

Their eyes widened when they noticed the crown on his head and realize who he was. They quickly bowed before him.

"Who might you be, o'fine looking people?" Yuri asked cheerfully. "Could it be… you're the handy men sent to fix my bed? It's been making this awful squeaking noise—"

"Your Majesty," Yuna sweat-dropped. "They're our guests from the Twilight Kingdom. They've come here looking for… their missing king. And," she sweat-dropped again. "We got you a new bed ages ago."

"Have you seen him, Your Majesty?" Tifa asked hopefully.

"….." Yuri looked down thoughtfully while the group waited for an answer. Then suddenly, he looked up and turned to his side. "Runa!"

"Yes Milord?" Yuna sweat-dropped, knowing he was referring to her.

"Take these fine looking people and let them search the castle for their King," Yuri instructed.

Yuna bowed and led the group inside the castle.

Once they were alone, Yuri turned to Rikku and Paine grimly, "Take me to their King immediately. I have to speak with him first."

_Inside the Castle's kitchen…_

Yuri, Paine and Rikku went in to meet Roxas.

"How did you end up here?" Paine started interrogating the blonde. "Why are they saying you're missing?"

"I escaped," he admitted.

They gasped dramatically. Just as King Yuri was about to speak however, someone else yelled, "Why?"

They turned around, surprised to find Olette behind them, glaring at Roxas angrily.

"Why?" She demanded. "Why did you abandon your kingdom Roxas! I thought you were better than to do that!"

"Don't worry," Roxas assured her. "I've left things in Sora's hands, he's capable—"

"No…" Olette put a hand over her forehead in frustration. "The question I want to ask is _why_ did you come here?"

"…"

Olette glared at him hard, patiently waiting for an answer.

"I…" He scratched his head nervously. "…came here to warn you about Zexion. He's going to try to marry you. Hayner, Pence and I couldn't stand by and let this creep—"

"That's it?" She looked somewhat disappointed.

"What more reason do you need?" Roxas retorted angrily. "Aren't you scared of that guy?"

"My affairs are of no concern to you," Olette told him coldy. "Go back to your Kingdom!" Then she turned her back on him and left the kitchen.

_Silence._

"Your people will accompany you back safely to your Kingdom," Rikku told him quietly.

"No," Roxas turned to her swiftly. "I won't go back!"

"…" Yuri was studying him quietly.

"_Why_?" Rikku asked frustratedly.

"Worried about Olette?" Paine guessed. "She'll be safe. We're always looking after her."

"…" Roxas looked down quietly.

"What? Speak up!" Rikku pouted in annoyance.

"Can I stay here longer?" Roxas asked desperately, looking up again.

"But… Your people are here, they're looking for you… they will find you eventually…" Rikku shrugged.

"Unless you don't let them…" Roxas stared at them hopefully.

"And why wouldn't we?" Paine retorted challengingly, crossing her arms in front of her.

"Yeah, it's dangerous if we lie to your Kingdom… they might take offense! Which is not good for, err, our political relationship!" Rikku shrugged again.

"I won't let that happen, I swear," Roxas told them honestly.

"But you haven't told us the real reason why you want to stay here so bad," Paine raised an inquisitive eyebrow.

"Yeah!" Rikku exclaimed. "You have to tell us first!"

"…."

"Do you honestly and strongly wish to stay here?" Yuri finally spoke, calmly glaring at Roxas.

"Yeah," Roxas nodded confidently.

"No matter the consequences?"

Roxas nodded again.

"Alright…" Yuri smiled kindly. "I will keep you here… But in one condition. We will hide you here and no one will know – it will remain a secret between us – as long as you become Olette's personal servant!"

Roxas gawked at him, taken aback.

"Isn't that a bit downgrading?" Rikku exclaimed, wide-eyed.

"A bit? Talk about major," Paine smirked.

"And your name will be Ken," Yuri smiled. "You will not tell a soul here about your true identity so far only us will know and it has to stay that way. Are we in an agreement… Your Majesty?"

_Silence._

Finally, Roxas nodded, determined. "Yeah."

Yuri beams "Brilliant!" He turned to the girls, "Show him his room in the basement and get him in proper servant clothes." He patted Roxas's shoulder. "When you're done, let them lead you to the library. That's where Sweet-pea will be." He winked and added before leaving, "I shall see you around Ben!"

Roxas sweat-dropped and turned to Rikku and Paine after Yuri had left. "Does he always forget people's names?"

"Give Milord a break! He's an old and tired man!" Rikku frowned at Roxas defensively. "And he doesn't forget all people's names… there's one person he's never ever in his life forgot their name."

"Who?" Roxas asked curiously.

"Princess Olette," Paine told him with a small bitter smile.

"Because he was the one who chose that name for her," Rikku explained quietly. "He told his children that he wishes to have a granddaughter named Olette. But everyone laughed at the name. Especially Olette's mother. She thought it was hideous. But now that we've finally found her daughter… and Milord discovered that she named her 'Olette' after all…" Rikku smiled sadly. "I can't describe how _happy_ Milord was…"

"Where are all his other children?" Roxas asked quietly, feeling very sympathetic for King Yuri.

"Dead," Paine answered. "All of them. We've told you the story before… Olette's mother wanted to marry a man that her family didn't approve of, so she ran away with him and hid in your Kingdom while working as a servant. Then the plague hit and she and her husband died… her family searched everywhere for her..."

"Until they gave up," Rikku continued. "Everyone… Except Milord. He never gave up and kept looking and looking until it took his energy and life away… bit by bit. All he got from her was anonymous letters that told him how she was doing. And that she had a child, she didn't even include his grandchild's name. All we knew is that she had to be in Twilight, because that's where her mother died."

"These letters we discovered later, long after his daughter was found and he'd discovered that she'd passed away," Paine explained.

Rikku looked down grimly. "The letters gave him renewed hope, and he was more than determined to find his granddaughter. Mainly because… He didn't have any inheritors left. His other children died in horrible accidents… one fell from the back of a horse and broke his neck, the other from a battle wound…"

"Meanwhile, we got promoted as Knights and brought here to live in the castle," Paine added. "When we found out about Milord's story, we were very touched by it, so we dedicated ourselves to help him make his wish come true."

"Milord is the best…" Rikku grinned with utmost admiration for their King. "He's always cheerful and smiling… despite the pain of losing his family! His suffering couldn't beat his love and passion for life. That's why, even if his memory has issues and he becomes a bit handful sometimes… we'll all still loyally follow him! He's the best!"

"…." Roxas smiled softly at the floor. _That sounds awfully like someone I know…'_Then out loud he remarked, "Olette is very lucky."

Abruptly, he got a smack on the head from Rikku.

"Hey!" He glared at her. "Do you know who I am?"

"Yeah," she told him slyly. "You're '_Ken_', and you're just a servant now! You're supposed to call her 'Her Highness'!" Rikku and Paine smirked, completely relishing this.

Roxas sweat-dropped. _The irony…_

Outside, Yuri's advisor found him in the hallway. "Pardon me for saying this Your Majesty… But you are very cunning. You've purposely planned this to keep King Roxas close to Princess Olette."

"Of course," Yuri grinned brightly. "She clearly loves him, whether she likes to admit it or not. What she did back at the arena proved it. And my ultimate wish is to make my Sweet-pea marry someone she loves and live happily ever after!"

His advisor smiled. "You are very kind Your Majesty, the Princess is very lucky to have you."

"And that _Den_…" Yuri said grimly, referring to 'Ken/Ben', aka Roxas. "He needs to learn the hardship of a life of slavery! They'd made my precious Sweet-pea their servant for all these years, managing an entire library by herself!" His expression darkened. "I say it is pay back. My sweet-pea will be able to push him around all she wants, I hope she enjoys it!"

The advisor whose real name was still unknown sweat-dropped to himself. _Is His Majesty really senile… or has he been fooling us all along?_

Suddenly, Yuri noticed another of his most trusted guards passing by. One was a female and the other was a male. "Gertrude!" He called one of them cheerfully.

They stopped before him and bowed. "Good afternoon Your Majesty."

The blue-haired female guard then sweat-dropped. "And my name is _Aqua_, Your Majesty."

"Well, I was close!" Yuri shrugged casually, smiling.

"That was nowhere close to my name…" She sweat-dropped again, smiling back weakly.

The man next to her smirked. "Lovely name," he said sarcastically.

She glared at him, pouting.

"Oh, Gilbert too, perfect!" Yuri beamed innocently at the man. "How nice to always find you two together! Saves me the hassle. I need you two for a favor."

Aqua giggled at her friend's expression when he called him Gilbert.

"My name is Terra, not Gilbert," he frowned at their King. "If you're going to forget my name, pick something cool at least."

"At least your name was better than mine. Gertrude…" Aqua shuddered slightly in disgust, making Terra smile.

"What was that, Agnes?"

She smiled at him weakly, sweat-dropping. "N-Nothing Your Majesty…"

"Anyway, about my favor… see, I just hired a new guardian for Olette. A handsome young man by the name of Ven. Take care of him and show him the ropes will you? Good night! I'm off to bed! I hope those handy men finally fixed those awful squeaking noises…"

They sweat-dropped as they watched him go. "It's still the afternoon…"


End file.
